Immunohistochemical expression of E-Cadherin and ?-catenin in prostate adenocarcinoma and benign prostate hyperplasia

Abstract

Disruption of the E cadherin mediated complex due to loss or depletion of E cadherin results in epithelial abnormalities and serious developmental impairment in varioustissues and organs. The present study aims to determine E cadherin and ? catenin expression in patients diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatecarcinoma (PCa) based on Gleason scores and investigate the association of these proteins with PSA levels and Gleason scoring. Immunohistochemical staining for Ecadherin and ? catenin was performed in 59 patients diagnosed with PCa and 30 patients with BPH. Mean E cadherin expression was 3.00 in patients diagnosed with BPHand 2.38±0.5 in patients with PCa, with a statistically significant difference between these values (p<0.001). Comparison of PCa cases with PSA <10 versus those withPSA ?10 revealed significantly reduced ? catenin expression in the group with PSA levels ?10 (p<0.001). Loss of E cadherin and ? catenin is known to contribute to thepathogenesis of PCa. We believe that future molecular studies on this subject may further elucidate the association between carcinoma development and the expression ofthese molecules, leading to new therapeutic targets in the treatment of PCa.