Influence of age on soluble E-cadherin serum levels prevents its utility as a disease marker in gastric cancer patients

To evaluate whether soluble E-cadherin may be considered useful in diagnosing gastric cancer and whether it correlates to clinicopathological features and long-term survival, the serum concentrations of E-cadherin were assessed in 124 patients affected by gastric adenocarcinoma and operated on at our Institution. Patients’ median age (range) was 71.5 (3590) years with a male to female ratio of 1.9:1. As control, 45 subjects (16 M) with a median age of 60.0 (2897) years were selected among patients without any malignancy or chronic inflammatory disease.