Immunoexpression of E-cadherin, Snail and Twist in colonic adenocarcinomas.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important mechanism in tumor progression. Snail is a transcription factor, expressed in cells which have undergone almost complete EMT and have left the tumor, and Twist is considered important in the process of metastasis, both playing a major role in EMT by indirect inhibition of E-cadherin. The study analyzed the immunoexpression of E-cadherin, Snail and Twist in 46 cases of colonic carcinomas in comparison with some histopathological prognostic factors. The quantification of reactions was done by using a composite score (CS) resulted from multiplying the percentage of marked cells with the intensity of immunostaining. The majority of cases were moderately differentiated tumors, corresponded to stage III, with vascular and perineural invasion. All cases presented positive cytoplasmic and nuclear signals for Snail and Twist. The immunostaining for both markers was intense, with the highest values of CS in G2 and G3 advanced, invasive vascular colonic carcinomas, in comparison with G1, early stage lesions. We found positive significant linear correlation of Snail and Twist expression. The results obtained indicate the implication of Snail and Twist in colonic carcinoma aggressiveness, useful aspect in the oncological evaluation of patients and guided therapy.