Rapid Communication
Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 21, 2008; 14(23): 3739-3744
Published online Jun 21, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.3739
Reduced expression of P120 catenin in cholangiocarcinoma correlated with tumor clinicopathologic parameters
Bo Zhai, He-Xin Yan, Shu-Qin Liu, Lei Chen, Meng-Chao Wu, Hong-Yang Wang
Bo Zhai, Department of Ultrasonic Intervention, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, China
He-Xin Yan, Shu-Qin Liu, Lei Chen, Meng-Chao Wu, Hong-Yang Wang, International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobilliary Surgery Institute, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, China
Author contributions: Zhai B wrote the paper and organized the figures and patient data, Yan HX and Liu SQ did the immunohistochemical staining assays; Chen L carried out the statistical analysis; Wu MC and Wang HY helped write, organize, and correct the paper; Wang HY supervised the writing and organization process.
Correspondence to: Hong-Yang Wang, International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobilliary Surgery Institute, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, China. hywangk@online.sh.cn
Telephone: +86-21-25070846
Fax: +86-21-65566851
Received: March 22, 2007
Revised: May 9, 2008
Accepted: May 16, 2008
Published online: June 21, 2008
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the relationship between the expression of P120 and the clinicopathologic parameters in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

METHODS: An immunohistochemical study of E-cadherin and P120 catenin was performed on 42 specimens of ICC with a Dako Envision kit.

RESULTS: The expression of E-cadherin and P120 was reduced in 27 cases (64.3%) and 31 cases (73.8%), respectively. Both E-cadherin and P120 expressions were significantly correlated with the tumor histological grade (χ2 = 9.333, P = 009 and χ2 = 11.71, P = 0.003), TNM stage (χ2= 8.627, P = 0.035 and χ2 = 13.123, P = 0.004), intrahepatic metastasis (χ2= 7.292, P = 0.007 and χ2 = 4.657, P = 0.041, respectively) and patients’ survival (χ2= 6.351, P = 0.002 and χ2 = 4.023, P = 0.000, respectively). In addition, the expression of P120 was in concordance with that of E-cadherin (χ2 = 13.797, P = 0.000), indicating that the expression of P120 may be dependent on that of E-cadherin. Finally, only P120 expression was found to be an independent prognostic factor in Cox regression model (r = 0.088, P = 0.049).

CONCLUSION: Down-regulated expression of E-cadherin and P120 occurs frequently in ICC and contributes to the progression and development of tumor. Both of them may be valuable biologic markers for predicting tumor invasion, metastasis and patients’ survival, but only P120 is an independent prognostic factor for ICC.

Keywords: P120, Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, Clinicopathologic feature, Invasion and metastasis, Survival