E-Cadherin

Shelloz, thanks for asking the question, I had been putting aside research on this issue, as I too am E-Cadherin positive.  Thanks MarieKelly for putting me on the trail.  From what I read though it appears to be a marker for ILC as opposed to IDC.

Is it a good thing to be E-C pos or is it not?  Don't know exactly what they mean when they say it tests "positive"

"E-cadherin is the prototype of the large cadherin superfamily and is renowned for its potent malignancy suppressing activity."

http://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/content/1/6/a003129.abstract

"In breast cancer, E-cadherin is found mutated or otherwise functionally silenced in invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), which accounts for 10-15% of all breast cancers.

Combined inactivation of E-cadherin and p53 induced lactation-independent development of invasive and metastatic mammary carcinomas, which showed strong resemblance to human pleomorphic ILC.

Our results confirm that loss of E-cadherin contributes to both mammary tumor initiation and metastasis, and establish a preclinical mouse model of human ILC that can be used for the development of novel intervention strategies to treat invasive breast cancer"

http://dmm.biologists.org/content/4/3/347.abstract

I don't know all the scientific jargon, Shelley, but I believe they test for E-Cadherin to determine whether you have ILC or IDC. If you're positive, you have IDC; if you're negative, ILC. My report shows negative.

Maybe oversimplified, but that's how I've always understood it. Hope that helps!

Jenny

This was in my path report:

"Both (tumors) with ’lobular growth pattern’, but E-cadherin positiveness, meaning ductal type."

 I have understood that to mean that the "E-cadherin-ness" was what meant it was ductal.....

IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE ?

Looooollllllllllllll

Krcll, I don't know anymore, here's how I read the quote:

One would be positive for loss of E-cadherin which contributes to tumor initiation and establishes ILC

?????

E-cadherin is a protein that helps cells stick to each other so it's loss (being negative) is what makes the growth pattern of ILC different from IDC...ILC grows in a linear pattern while IDC tends to grow in a clumping kind of pattern.

Having a tumor test negative for E-cadherin means that there is no reaction to the test ("loss of E-cadherin") and almost all ILC is E-cadherin negative and will have no reaction when the stain is applied. So if a pathologist is having a hard time distinguishing between ILC and IDC, the E-cadherin test will help him/her make the decision as to which type it is.  If the tumor is E-cadherin negative then the diagnosis is ILC, a lobular cancer. If the tumor is E-cadherin positive then the diagnosis is IDC, a ductal cancer.  There are some exceptions, but generally this test is the tie-breaker if there's some confusion as to the diagnosis and otherwise just serves to support the diagnosis of either one. Negative means ILC. Positive means IDC.

Sherri, ok....now, I'm back to square one....my first impression was that if I was pos for E-Cad as for ER and PR that it was not a good thing.  If I had tested neg for loss of E-Cad, like you, that would have been a good thing

Luan, So maybe that explaines why we have been told to include Tumeric in our diets as well as many of the other things. Tofu I would wonder about in BC if it is estrogen driven.