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The E-cadherin/catenin complex plays an essential role in maintaining intimate intercellular associations and is considered to be involved in tumor metastasis and suppressing invasion by cancer cells. We have analyzed the expression of E-cadherin/catenin complex in a series of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) specimens using immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. Data are correlated with the patients' clinicopathological parameters, including the clinical stage, presence of intracranial invasion, presence of lymph node or distant metastasis, and histological grading. The E-cadherin/catenin complex is down-expressed in most of the samples examined. Correlation with clinicopathological parameters shows that expression of alpha- and beta-catenin is associated with the occurrence of intracranial invasion.

The sera from patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (n = 30), oral carcinoma (n = 22) and laryngeal carcinoma (n = 22) was extracted before treatment. The concentration of circulating intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), E-selectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) was measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay and compared with those from normal subjects (n = 20). The concentration of circulating ICAM-1, E-selectin and VCAM-1 was significantly increased in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Correspondingly, VCAM-1 and E-selectin were significantly increased in laryngeal carcinoma, whereas only E-selectin was elevated in oral carcinoma. The concentrations of these adhesion molecules did not significantly differ with respect to the early and late stages of these carcinomas. Elevated levels of soluble adhesion molecules in the sera of cancer patients at three different head and neck regions, although appearing to be implicated in these tumour formations, may be unrelated to tumour progression. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaign