EXPRESSION PATTERN OF THE ACTIVATED LEUKOCYTE CELL ADHESION MOLECULE ALCAM/CD166 AS A DIAGNOSTIC AND PROGNOSTIC MARKER IN ENDOMETRIAL CANCER
The activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM/CD166) is an immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecule. Whilst expressed in a wide variety of tissues and cells, ALCAM is restricted to subsets of cells usually in dynamic growth and migration processes and has been implicated in tumorige...
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| Published in: | Anticancer research Vol. 28; no. 6B; p. 4030 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
01-12-2008
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| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | The activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM/CD166) is an immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecule. Whilst expressed in a wide variety of tissues and cells, ALCAM is restricted to subsets of cells usually in dynamic growth and migration processes and has been implicated in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Over the past decade, alterations in expression of ALCAM have been reported in several human tumors, like melanoma, prostate, breast and bladder cancer. Endometrial carcinoma is the most frequent invasive malignancy of the female genital tract in developed countries. The present study was designed to investigate the expression pattern of ALCAM in the normal human endometrium and in endometrial carcinomas for the very first time. Methods: In the present study, immunohistochemistry with specific antibodies was performed on a series of 20 normal endometrial samples, 15 endometrial hyperplasias and 40 endometrial carcinomas to investigate the expression pattern and cell-type specific localization of ALCAM and to correlate it with clinico-pathological data. In addition, Western blot was performed on normal human endometrium and endometrial neoplasia. Results: Strong ALCAM expression with a consistent cytoplasmic localization was observed in epithelial and glandular cells of normal human endometrium in 80% of the samples of the proliferative and secretory phase (score 8-12). Most of the hyperplasias showed nearly the same result. Moderate (score 4-7) cytoplasmic and membranous ALCAM expression could be observed in 50% of the low grade endometrioid carcinomas. With increasing malignancy grade, increasing areas with low ALCAM expression level or complete loss of ALCAM expression could be observed. Down-regulation (score 0-3) occurred preferentially in 40% of the analyzed high grade endometrioid carcinomas as well as in serous and clear cell carcinomas. The results were confirmed by western blotting. Conclusion: The data suggest that ALCAM expression is disturbed in endometrial carcinoma, which might indicate a role of ALCAM in the progression of this disease. At present, it is only possible to speculate about the molecular mechanisms underlying these results. The expression pattern of ALCAM in endometrial tissue indicates that it might play a role in the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer and seems to be useful as an additional independent diagnostic and prognostic marker for such lesions. |
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| Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Feature-2 |
| ISSN: | 0250-7005 |