P-cadherin expression in glandular lesions of the uterine cervix detected by liquid-based cytology.

OBJECTIVE To study P-cadherin aberrant expression as a possible marker for cervical adenocarcinomas in cytological samples. METHODS We studied P-cadherin immunoexpression in liquid-based cervical cytology samples of biopsy-proven cervical lesions. RESULTS We found a statistically significant correlation between P-cadherin expression and a cytological diagnosis of malignancy, either glandular or squamous (P < 0.0001). Twenty-two of 33 malignant cases showed P-cadherin membrane staining. None of the 30 benign cases tested showed membrane staining, but three of them displayed an aberrant nuclear P-cadherin expression. CONCLUSIONS We concluded that P-cadherin can be used to discriminate between malignant and benign cervical cytological specimens, but not to discriminate glandular from squamous lesions.