[E-cadherin molecular expresion in the diffuse and intestinal types of gastric adenocarcinoma. A report from Lima, Peru].

OBJECTIVE Signet ring carcinoma of the stomach is well known to be more aggressive and infiltrating than adenocarcinoma. Different studies have proposed that signet ring cell carcinoma would be more infiltrating because of the loss of E-cadherin expression, this cadherin is a class of protein cell membrane protein which plays an important role in cell-adhesion. METHODS We carried out a transversal comparative study, in order to measure the E-cadherin expression in 10 cases of signet ring cell and in 10 cases of adenocarcinoma, with help of immunohistochemistry. RESULTS We found a bigger expression of E-cadherin in adenocarcinomas (100%) than signet ring cell carcinoma (40%), this difference was significative using Fisher test (p = 0,011). The loss of E-cadherin would explain the bigger infiltrating capacity in comparison to adenocarcinoma.