A Retrospective Study on the Expression of E-Cadherin in Endometrial Carcinoma

E-cadherin is a cell adhesion molecule crucial for maintaining cellular integrity and survival. E-cadherin is the focus of this study, which aims to evaluate its immunohistochemical staining patterns in endometrial carcinoma (EC). Material and methods In this retrospective study, 25 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of EC were retrieved from the Department of Pathology at Saveetha Medical College. These samples, collected between September 2020 and May 2023, were identified using unique histopathology numbers. Results The analysis revealed that E-cadherin expression decreased as the endometrial tissue progressed from normal to carcinoma. This reduction was more pronounced in cancers with greater depth of invasion and in more advanced stages compared to those with less invasive depth and earlier stages. Additionally, E-cadherin expression was higher in grade 1 tumors but became heterogeneous or negative in grade 3 tumors. Conclusion The downregulation of E-cadherin is likely due to disruptions in the cadherin-catenin complex, which is linked to the potential for local and distant metastasis in cancer. This study underscores the significance of cell adhesion molecule expression in predicting the prognosis of EC.