Positive correlation between sialyl Lewis X expression and pathologic findings in renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Background. Interaction between tumor cells and endothelium plays a major role in cancer invasion and metastasis. Among various cell adhesion molecules, the cognate interaction between sialyl Lewis antigen expressed in the tumor cell surface and E-selectin expressed on endothelial cells is considered to be crucial for the tumor cell adhesion to the endothelium. Methods. The sialyl Lewis X (sLX) expression in 45 specimens from renal cell carcinoma patients was examined using immunohistochemistry. Results. In this study, we demonstrate that the immunoreactivity for sLX in renal cell carcinoma specimens not only correlates with conventional histopathologic parameters but also serves as a useful indicator for the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma. Conclusion. Since beneficial effect of cimetidine has been reported and ascribed to its inhibitory action on the expression of E-selectin, a ligand molecule of sialyl Lewis antigen, cimetidine may also show inhibitory effect on the tumor recurrence and metastasis of renal cell carcinoma with high level of sL X expression. © 2005 by the International Society of Nephrology.