Abnormal expression of e-cadherin in gastric adenocarcinoma, and its correlation with tumor histopathology and helicobacter pylori infection

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer is one of the leading cancers in the world especially in Iran. There are many genomic and molecular factors that cause gastric cancer to occur, and also there are many markers that associate with tumor invasiveness. E-cadherin is a tumor suppressor gene which produces E-cadherin transmembrane protein, a molecule which plays an important role in adhesion and differentiation of epithelial cells.

OBJECTIVES

In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of abnormal E-cadherin expression in Iranian patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, and tried to find its correlation with H. pylori infection and tumor histopathology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A historical cohort survey was performed on tissue samples obtained from 95 total or partial gastrectomy with gastric adenocarcinoma. The immunohistochemistry and Giemsa staining were used to assess E-cadherin expression, and H- pylori infection respectively. The association between abnormal E-cadherin expression and tumor histopathology characteristics include depth of tumor invasion, tumor differentiation, tumor phenotype, tumor type, tumor size, neurovascular invasion of tumor, and regional lymph node involvement and H- pylori infection and patient's age and sex, were evaluated in all patients.

RESULTS

Abnormal E-cadherin expression was noted in 38% of patients, and 59% of patients were infected with H-pylori. A significant correlation was seen between abnormal E-cadherin expression, and tumor grade and regional lymph node involvement. We could not find any significant association between abnormal E-cadherin expression and H- pylori infection, patient's age and sex, tumor phenotype, tumor type, depth of tumor invasion, tumor size, and neurovascular invasion of tumor.

CONCLUSIONS

Abnormal E-cadherin expression is a common phenomenon in gastric adenocarcinoma. The study showed a significant correlation between abnormal E-cadherin expression and tumor grade and regional lymph node involvement; so, abnormal E-cadherin expression may be used as a predictive factor for tumor invasiveness in gastric adenocarcinoma.

A lost pigtail

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Hematopoiesis research in aplastic anaemia induced by accidental protracted radiation

Over the past few years there have been 2 radiation-related accidents involving a large number of individuals: the April 1986 accident in Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Ukraine and the September 1987 accident in Goiania, Brazil. These 2 radiation-related accidents highlight the major question raised by radiation-induced injury to the haematopoietic system, that is: does a given patient suffer from a reversible or an irreversible haematopoietic stem cell damage? Although about 350 radiation accidents involving several thousand people are known from the literature, in-depth haematopoiesis analyses of individuals after a radiation-related accident have rarely been reported. In this paper we present the case of a young man with radiation-induced aplasia and compare some biological data to those of 16 normal individuals and of 17 patients with acquired aplastic anaemia. Our patient was clinically and biologically (as assessed by long-term bone marrow culture) indistinguishable from patients with idiopathic acquired aplastic anaemia. Furthermore, therapeutic attitudes in this patient are discussed. In-depth study of such radiation-induced aplastic anaemia cases can shed some light in the understanding of this disease and may help in therapeutic decisions.