RESUMO
PURPOSE: To investigate E-cadherin immunoexpression during cervical carcinogenesis. METHODS: We assessed the immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin in squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL - 52 cases), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix (23 cases) and also in eight cases of cervicitis. RESULTS: The results show very different E-cadherin membrane expression levels when cervicitis (88%), SILs (73%) and SCC (17%) were compared. In SILs, higher E-cadherin loss was seen in less differentiated cells in the basal third of the epithelium. This study suggests that the absence of E-cadherin expression in the membrane is a molecular event that is observed more often in SCC of the uterine cervix than in SILs or cervicitis. CONCLUSIONS: E-cadherin is an essential molecule during the process of cervical carcinogenesis and in this context exhibits a different expression pattern according to the epithelial thickness layer.
Assuntos
Caderinas/análise , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/patologia , Lesões Intraepiteliais Escamosas Cervicais/patologia , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/patologia , Cervicite Uterina/patologia , Adulto , Idoso , Animais , Biomarcadores Tumorais/análise , Biópsia , Caderinas/metabolismo , Carcinogênese/metabolismo , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/metabolismo , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Imuno-Histoquímica , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Valores de Referência , Lesões Intraepiteliais Escamosas Cervicais/metabolismo , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/metabolismo , Cervicite Uterina/metabolismo , Adulto JovemRESUMO
PURPOSE: To investigate E-cadherin immunoexpression during cervical carcinogenesis. METHODS: We assessed the immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin in squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL - 52 cases), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix (23 cases) and also in eight cases of cervicitis. RESULTS: The results show very different E-cadherin membrane expression levels when cervicitis (88%), SILs (73%) and SCC (17%) were compared. In SILs, higher E-cadherin loss was seen in less differentiated cells in the basal third of the epithelium. This study suggests that the absence of E-cadherin expression in the membrane is a molecular event that is observed more often in SCC of the uterine cervix than in SILs or cervicitis. CONCLUSIONS: E-cadherin is an essential molecule during the process of cervical carcinogenesis and in this context exhibits a different expression pattern according to the epithelial thickness layer. .