N-cadherin is related to the progression and metastases of several solid carcinomas.However,it was still unclear whether N-cadherin is overexpressed in colorectal malignant tumors that have stronger malignant tendency.In this study,we used immunohistochemistry to detect the expression patterns of N-cadherin in both the primary tumors and their normal mucosa tissues of 120patients with colorectal cancer.We revealed that N-cadherin was expressed in 78.3%(94/120)of colorectal tumor tissues and in only 9.2%(11/120)of paired distant normal mucosa tissues with a significant difference(P=0.000).The low,moderate,and high expression of N-cadherin protein was 42.5%,30.8%,and 26.7%,respectively.N-cadherin overexpression was associated with advanced TNM stage,lymph nodes metastasis and distant metastasis(P<0.05).Patients with N-cadherin overexpressed showed the obvious lower overall survival rate than those with moderate and low expression,and patients with low expression had a better survival rate than those with moderate and high expression(P<0.05).In conclusion,high N-cadherin expression may lead to tumor aggressiveness and metastatic potential in colorectal cancer,and may prove to be a possible prognostic factor.
