Aberrant E-cadherin Expression in Lobular Carcinoma In Situ: A Comprehensive Immunohistochemical Evaluation of N-terminal, Extracellular, and C-terminal E-cadherin Domains

Abstract

E-cadherin (E-cad) immunohistochemistry is commonly used to distinguish lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) from ductal carcinoma in situ in histologically uncertain or ambiguous cases. Although most LCIS cases show an absence of E-cad expression on the neoplastic cell membranes, some show aberrant E-cad expression which can lead to diagnostic confusion. Awareness and understanding of the frequency, patterns, and distribution of aberrant E-cad staining in LCIS is crucial to achieving a correct diagnosis. We studied 55 LCIS cases diagnosed on core needle biopsy, classified each case by WHO subtype (classic, pleomorphic, or florid), and evaluated the frequency and patterns of aberrant E-cad expression using 3 different E-cad antibodies targeting the N-terminal (N), extracellular (EC), and C-terminal domains (C). Aberrant E-cad expression in one or more of the E-cad domains was identified in 17 cases (31%) and was significantly more frequent among LCIS variants (10/19, 56%) than among classic cases (7/36, 19.4%) ( P =0.02). Among these 17 cases, aberrant E-cad expression was seen for all 3 domains in 10 cases, for EC+C in 4, for EC+N in 2, and for N only in 1. These results indicate that about one-third of cases of LCIS can show aberrant E-cad expression, that this is more common in variants than classic types of LCIS, and that this may be seen in different E-cad domains, most often in combination. These different patterns of aberrant E-cad expression may reflect different mechanisms of E-cad alterations in LCIS, the underlying nature of which merits further studies.