Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in non small-cell lung cancer

64Citations
Citations of this article
73Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Background/Aim: Lung cancer is the first cause of cancer related deaths in both males and females. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a reversible process by which epithelial cells transform to mesenchymal stem cells by losing their cell polarity and cell-to-cell adhesion, gaining migratory and invasive properties. High levels of E-cadherin are expressed in epithelial cells, whereas mesenchymal cells express high levels of N-cadherin, fibronectin and vimentin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between E-cadherin and vimentin expression and their clinical significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and Methods: The immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin, vimentin and Ki-67 was performed on tissue microarrays from NSCLC specimens obtained from 112 newly-diagnosed cases and were studied using classical pathological evaluation. Associations between E-cadherin, vimentin and Ki-67 expression, clinicopathological variables and survival were analyzed. In all cases, a value of p=0.05 was considered significant. Results: Low E-cadherin expression was significantly correlated with tumor necrosis (p=0.019). Moreover, there was a trend for correlation between high E-cadherin expression and better overall survival (hazard ratio=1.02, and 95% confidence interval=0.45-1.87, p=0.091). There was also a significant negative correlation between vimentin expression and overall survival (hazard ratio=1.13, and 95% confidence interval=0.78-1.65, p=0.026). Additionally, there was a significant negative correlation between vimentin expression and grade I tumors (p=0.031). Finally, a positive correlation trend between vimentin expression and Ki-67 was found (p=0.073). Conclusion: High E-cadherin and low vimentin expression correlate with better prognosis and overall survival.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Tsoukalas, N., Aravantinou-Fatorou, E., Tolia, M., Giaginis, C., Galanopoulos, M., Kiakou, M., … Theocharis, S. (2017). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in non small-cell lung cancer. Anticancer Research, 37(4), 1773–1778. https://doi.org/10.21873/anticanres.11510

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free