E-cadherin is a robust prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer and low expression is associated with sensitivity to inhibitors of topoisomerase, aurora, and HSP90 in preclinical models

Role of CDH1 gene variants and E-cadherin localization in gastric mucosal cancerization

Background

This study investigates the role of CDH1 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), mRNA transcription levels, and E-cadherin protein localization in Helicobacter pylori (Hp)-associated gastric diseases and their contribution to gastric mucosal carcinogenesis.

Methods

Gastric mucosal samples were analyzed for histopathology (Hematoxylin-Eosin staining) and Hp detection (rapid urease test, Giemsa staining). SNPs at the CDH1 gene rs16260 locus were identified via sequencing, mRNA levels were quantified by real-time PCR, and E-cadherin localization was assessed using Elivision™ Plus. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS 25.0.

Results

Participants were grouped by gastric mucosal pathology: normal (NOR), gastric inflammation (GI), gastric atrophy (GA), gastric premalignant lesion (GPL), severe dysplasia (GSD), and gastric cancer (GC). No significant differences were found in CDH1 rs16260 genotypes. However, CDH1 transcription was higher in GC compared to NOR and GPL groups. Intestinal metaplasia showed lower CDH1 mRNA levels. E-cadherin expression was higher in GSD and GC compared to other groups. Localization analysis revealed decreased membrane-bound E-cadherin with increased cytoplasmic expression as lesion severity increased. Quantitative analysis showed higher E-cadherin expression in GA than other groups, indicating an initial rise followed by a decline in malignancy. Regression analysis suggested that elevated CDH1 mRNA increased gastric cancer risk, while E-cadherin cytoplasmic ectopic expression heightened the risk of precancerous lesions and gastric cancer.

Conclusion

The A allele of the CDH1 gene rs16260 locus show no effect in gastric mucosal pathological evolution, while the elevated mRNA transcription levels potentially increasing the risk of gastric cancer. The loss and ectopic expression of E-cadherin may be significant risk factors for malignant transformation in the gastric mucosa.

Gene expression markers in peripheral blood and outcome in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer: A study of the European GANNET53 consortium

Disease progression is a major problem in ovarian cancer. There are very few treatment options for patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC), and therefore, these patients have a particularly poor prognosis. The aim of the present study was to identify markers for monitoring the response of 123 PROC patients enrolled in the Phase I/II GANNET53 clinical trial, which evaluated the efficacy of Ganetespib in combination with standard chemotherapy versus standard chemotherapy alone. In total, 474 blood samples were collected, comprising baseline samples taken before the first administration of the study drugs and serial samples taken during treatment until further disease progression (PD). After microfluidic enrichment, 27 gene transcripts were analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and their utility for disease monitoring was evaluated. At baseline, ERCC1 was associated with an increased risk of PD (hazard ratio [HR] 1.75, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-2.55; p = 0.005), while baseline CDH1 and ESR1 may have a risk-reducing effect (CDH1 HR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.46-0.96; p = 0.024; ESR1 HR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.39-0.86; p = 0.002). ERCC1 was observed significantly more often (72.7% vs. 53.9%; p = 0.032) and ESR1 significantly less frequently (59.1% vs. 78.3%; p = 0.018) in blood samples taken at radiologically confirmed PD than at controlled disease. At any time during treatment, ERCC1-presence and ESR1-absence were associated with short PFS and with higher odds of PD within 6 months (odds ratio 12.77, 95% CI: 4.08-39.97; p < 0.001). Our study demonstrates the clinical relevance of ESR1 and ERCC1 and may encourage the analysis of liquid biopsy samples for the management of PROC patients.

A systematic review and meta-analysis combined with bioinformatic analysis on the predictive value of E-cadherin in patients with renal cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common cancer of the kidney. This study aims to evaluate the potential predictive value of E-cadherin, a marker of the epithelial mesenchymal transit (EMT) process that has been associated with tumor metastasis.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library to identify prospective studies. Hazard ratios (HRs), odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were summarized to validate the relationship between E-cadherin and survival and clinical characteristics. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the NOS table. Then, we analyzed genetic data and clinical characteristics from The Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA) database using R language with the dplyr package for validation.

RESULTS

Including 21 articles. The analysis revealed a strong link between high E-cadherin expression and favorable prognosis (for OS, HR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.19-0.62; for PFS, HR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.03-0.53; for DSS, HR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.08-0.76; for RFS, HR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.44-1.16; for DFS, HR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.13-0.61; for T stage, OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.11-0.41; for N stage, OR = 0.07, 95%CI: 0.02-0.25; for M stage, OR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.02-0.60; for clinical stage, OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.18-0.47; for nuclear grade, OR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.13-0.41; for tumor size, OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.26-0.92). The findings were supported by bioinformatic analysis which used TCGA RCC patient's cohort (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Based on the current data, E-cadherin may predict a better prognosis in RCC patients.

Evaluating Recurrence Risk in Patients Undergoing Breast-conserving Surgery Using E-cadherin Staining as a Biomarker

BACKGROUND/AIM

Following the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, radiotherapy is administered after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in patients with more than four positive lymph nodes. Four positive lymph nodes are typically considered an indicator to assess disease spread and patient prognosis. However, the subjective counting of positive axillary lymph nodes underscores the need for biomarkers to improve diagnostic precision and reduce the risk of unnecessary treatments. Loss of E-cadherin expression is associated with cancer metastasis, but its potential as a predictive marker for cancer treatment remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the validity of E-cadherin as a reference for adjuvant radiotherapy in breast cancer patients with positive lymph nodes post-mastectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Immunohistochemistry was performed on 60 clinical tissue specimens to assess these implications.

RESULTS

Although no significant result was found in a single E-cadherin subgroup (low, medium, and high subgroups according to the X-tile algorithm), the proposed multivariate model, including the E-cadherin category, breast cancer subtype, and tumor size, yielded satisfactory recurrence risk estimation results for patients undergoing BCS. Patients with a low E-cadherin category, triple-negative breast cancers, and tumor size over 5 cm could have an increased risk of recurrence.

CONCLUSION

Our study proposed a multivariate model that serves as a candidate prognostic factor for recurrence-free survival in patients undergoing BCS and radiotherapy. Utilizing this model for patient stratification in high-risk diseases and as a standard for assessing postoperative intensified therapy can potentially improve patient outcomes.

Aberrant β-Catenin Expression and Its Association With Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Clinical Outcomes of Colorectal Cancer

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant global health challenge with high mortality rates. Dysregulation of β-catenin, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) are crucial in CRC development. Mutations in the APC gene lead to aberrant β-catenin expression, a key player in CRC pathogenesis. β-catenin not only influences canonical Wnt signaling but also regulates EMT. This study investigated the correlation between APC mutations, β-catenin dysregulation, and EMT induction in CRC. Methodology Tissue samples from 96 CRC patients and 40 para-cancerous normal tissues were collected and subjected to immunohistochemistry to assess β-catenin, E-cadherin, ZEB1, Snail, and vimentin expression. Genomic DNA was extracted and analyzed for APC mutations. Next-generation sequencing was employed for data analysis. Results Aberrant β-catenin expression was found in 82.3% of CRC cases and correlated with advanced clinicopathological factors. Aberrant β-catenin expression was associated with age (p=0.01), tumor invasion depth (p=0.03), nodal/distant metastasis (p=0.001 and 0.004), and vascular invasion (p=0.001). Aberrant β-catenin was correlated with EMT status. A positive correlation was observed between aberrant β-catenin expression and ZEB1 (p=0.001), Snail (p=0.001), vimentin (p=0.001), and loss of membranous E-cadherin (p=0001). Coexistence of aberrant β-catenin and EMT markers was associated with advanced CRC progression. Cancerous tissues displayed higher aberrant β-catenin and EMT markers expression than para-cancerous tissues. APC mutations were present in 59.3% of cases, with 91.2% of mutated APC cases showing aberrant β-catenin expression. The coexistence of APC mutation and aberrant β-catenin expression was correlated with the clinical outcomes of CRC patients. Mutated APC cases exhibited significantly increased EMT marker expression. Conclusion This study underscores the importance of aberrant β-catenin expression in CRC progression, linked to APC mutations and EMT induction. Understanding these relationships could aid in developing targeted therapies for CRC.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy reduces the levels of HMGB1 and E-cadherin in patients with breast cancer

This study investigated the changes in serum tumor marker levels in patients with breast cancer (BC) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and their potential as prognostic factors in NACT. A total of 134 consecutive patients with BC treated at our hospital between January 2019 and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were treated with NACT based on the docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (TEC) regimen and assessed for marker levels, T cell subsets, and therapeutic outcomes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the predictive performance of the markers. Outcome assessments showed that NACT effectively reduced the tumor size, leading to increased complete remission, partial remission, stable disease, and significantly reduced disease progression. Improved immune function has also been observed after NACT. The levels of two (E-cadherin and HMGB1) out of five markers (CA153, CK19, CEA, E-cadherin, and HMGB1) were significantly reduced after NACT before surgery compared with those at admission, suggesting that NACT modulates the levels of biomarkers. ROC analysis revealed that the area under the curve (AUC) of HMGB1 and E-cadherin combination was 0.87 for discrimination of therapeutic response with a sensitivity and specificity of 91.3% and 88.4%, respectively. Serum tumor marker levels were reduced after NACT in patients with BC. The reduction was most prominent for HMGB1, followed by E-cadherin. These biomarkers can be used to predict the therapeutic response to NACT with an AUC of 0.87, thus offering a new tool to monitor treatment progress in NACT for patients with BC.

3D-Printed Tumor-on-Chip for the Culture of Colorectal Cancer Microspheres: Mass Transport Characterization and Anti-Cancer Drug Assays

Tumor-on-chips have become an effective resource in cancer research. However, their widespread use remains limited due to issues related to their practicality in fabrication and use. To address some of these limitations, we introduce a 3D-printed chip, which is large enough to host ~1 cm3 of tissue and fosters well-mixed conditions in the liquid niche, while still enabling the formation of the concentration profiles that occur in real tissues due to diffusive transport. We compared the mass transport performance in its rhomboidal culture chamber when empty, when filled with GelMA/alginate hydrogel microbeads, or when occupied with a monolithic piece of hydrogel with a central channel, allowing communication between the inlet and outlet. We show that our chip filled with hydrogel microspheres in the culture chamber promotes adequate mixing and enhanced distribution of culture media. In proof-of-concept pharmacological assays, we biofabricated hydrogel microspheres containing embedded Caco2 cells, which developed into microtumors. Microtumors cultured in the device developed throughout the 10-day culture showing >75% of viability. Microtumors subjected to 5-fluorouracil treatment displayed <20% cell survival and lower VEGF-A and E-cadherin expression than untreated controls. Overall, our tumor-on-chip device proved suitable for studying cancer biology and performing drug response assays.