Epithelial cell adhesion molecule is expressed in a subset of sarcomas and correlates to the degree of cytological atypia in leiomyosarcomas

Ward,Kristi; Amaya,Clarissa; Verma,Kundan; Tran,Dat; Diaz,Dolores; Torabi,Alireza; Bryan,Brad  A.

doi:10.3892/mco.2014.428

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule is expressed in a subset of sarcomas and correlates to the degree of cytological atypia in leiomyosarcomas

Authors:
- Kristi Ward
- Clarissa Amaya
- Kundan Verma
- Dat Tran
- Dolores Diaz
- Alireza Torabi
- Brad A. Bryan
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Affiliations: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX 79905, USA, Department of Pathology, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX 79905, USA
Published online on: September 25, 2014 https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2014.428
Pages: 31-36

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Abstract

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a protein involved in cell-to-cell attachment and is considered to be strictly expressed in epithelial tissues and epithelial‑derived tumors. Furthermore, EpCAM has been shown to be a negative prognostic marker for several carcinomas. In this study, we performed a genomic meta-analysis of gene expression profiles housed in the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia to demonstrate that EpCAM mRNA is expressed at low to moderate levels in certain sarcoma cell lines. We utilized immunohistochemical staining to confirm that the EpCAM protein is expressed in a subset of angiosarcomas and leiomyosarcomas and in all the investigated osteosarcomas. Finally, we conducted a statistical analysis of clinical data to demonstrate that EpCAM protein expression is significantly and directly correlated with the degree of cytological atypia in leiomyosarcomas. In conclusion, this data suggests that, contrary to conventional beliefs, EpCAM is expressed in a subset of sarcomas and is a negative prognostic marker for leiomyosarcomas.

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