%0 Journal Article
%T Salivary and serum levels of soluble E-cadherin in patients with gastrointestinal cancers: A comparative study.
%A Aznab M
%A Shahhosseini R
%A Safaei M
%A Mozaffari HR
%J J Cancer Res Ther
%V 19
%N 7
%D 2023 Oct 1
%M 38376307
%F 1.331
%R 10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_702_22
%X <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>According to the literature, high levels of salivary soluble E-cadherin may be lined to advanced stage and poor prognosis in cancers. This research aimed at comparing salivary and serum levels of soluble E-cadherin in cases with esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>This case-control research was performed on 68 patients with gastrointestinal cancers and 57 healthy volunteers as a control group to measure salivary and serum levels of soluble E-cadherin using ELISA kits.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>The results showed a statistically significant difference between salivary and serum levels of soluble E-cadherin in the case group, as opposed to the control group (P = 0.031). The salivary level of soluble E-cadherin in the control group was 2.138 ng/mL on average lower than that that in the case group. The median salivary level of soluble E-cadherin among cases with lymph node involvement was significantly higher compared with its median level in the control group (P = 0.049). Soluble E-cadherin salivary level and other variables, such as metastasis and cancer stage, were directly correlated, but it was not statistically significant.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>According to the findings, the salivary level of soluble E-cadherin among cases with gastric cancer could be considered as a prognostic marker, but the diagnostic value of saliva could not be judged in esophageal and colorectal cancers because of small sample size, and more investigations are required for a definite conclusion.