E-Cadherin Expression in Canine Melanocytic Tumors: Histological, Immunohistochemical, and Survival Analysis

Serenella Silvestri*, Ilaria Porcellato, Luca Mechelli, Laura Menchetti, Selina Iussich, Raffaella De Maria, Monica Sforna, Laura Bongiovanni, Chiara Brachelente

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

E-cadherin, a glycoprotein involved in cell-cell adhesion, has a pivotal role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition, a process through which neoplastic epithelial cells develop an invasive phenotype. In human cutaneous melanomas, decreased E-cadherin expression is associated with shorter survival and increased Breslow thickness, whereas in the dog its role is poorly understood. Tumor thickness and modified Clark level were recently proposed as useful features to assess canine melanocytic tumors, but no studies investigated their association with E-cadherin expression. We performed immunohistochemistry on 77 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary canine melanocytic tumors. A 3-tier and a 2-tier classification system for assessing E-cadherin expression were tested, with the latter being more informative for the assessment of canine melanocytic tumors. E-cadherin expression was lower in cutaneous melanomas than melanocytomas, as well as in amelanotic tumors compared to pigmented tumors. In amelanotic melanomas, absent E-cadherin expression was associated with an unfavorable outcome, suggesting a potential use of this marker in defining the prognosis of amelanotic melanomas. E-cadherin expression was lower in tumors with greater tumor thickness and modified Clark level ≥IV, suggesting its possible utility in identifying the most invasive tumors. The expression of E-cadherin in oral melanomas was heterogeneous, but was associated with pigmentation and clinical outcome; thus, E-cadherin evaluation could be advantageous to detect the most aggressive neoplasms. However, cutaneous melanomas without E-cadherin expression frequently had a favorable clinical outcome. Hence, its importance as prognostic factor should be carefully considered depending on the tumor origin.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)608-619
Number of pages12
JournalVeterinary Pathology
Volume57
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2020
Externally publishedYes

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was partially funded by the Canine Cancer Registry of the Umbria Region, Italy, and by the Project 2013.0251.021 by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia (Italy)—Scientific and Technologic Research.

Keywords

  • cadherins
  • CDH1 protein
  • cell adhesion
  • dogs
  • epithelial-mesenchymal transition
  • immunohistochemistry
  • melanoma
  • prognosis

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'E-Cadherin Expression in Canine Melanocytic Tumors: Histological, Immunohistochemical, and Survival Analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this