Significance of dysadherin and E-cadherin expression in differentiated-type gastric carcinoma with submucosal invasion

Summary Dysadherin is a cancer-associated cell membrane glycoprotein that down-regulates E-cadherin and plays important roles in tumor progression and metastasis. Differentiated-type gastric carcinoma can be classified into 2 histologic subtypes according to the presence of poorly differentiated components: a mixed type (differentiated carcinoma with poorly differentiated components) and a pure type (purely differentiated-type adenocarcinoma). We studied the clinicopathologic features of 318 cases of differentiated-type gastric carcinoma with submucosal invasion and evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of dysadherin and E-cadherin. We also evaluated 46 cases of metastatic lymph nodes. Tumors with combined dysadherin-positive (≥50%) expression and E-cadherin–negative ( P = .0009, P = .0015, P = .0273, and P = .0187, respectively). Moreover, the frequency of dysadherin-positive (≥50%) expression was higher in the mixed type (60.3%) than in the pure type (12.4%) ( P P P = .001). Dysadherin-positive (≥50%) expression and E-cadherin–negative (