Abstract: Objective To detect the expression and aberrant mcthylation of T-cadherin in cutaneous basal cell carcinoma(BCC).Methods Skin tissues were resected during operation in light-exposed sites from 29 patients with BCC and 19 normal controls.The expression and aberrant mcthylation of T-cadherin were tested by immunohistochemical staining and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP),respectively.Results Immunohistochemical staining showed that T-cadhcrin was expressed in 8 of 29(27.59%)BCC specimens, whereas in all(100%)normal controls, and there was a significant difference in T-cadherin positivity rates between the two groups(X²=24.46, P<0.05).The aberrant methylation of T-cadherin promoter region was detected in 9 BCC(37.93%)and in 1(5.26%)control specimen with significant difference between them(X²=4.62, P<0.05).Conclusion The decrease of T-cadherin expression, likely to be relavent to the aberrant methylation of T-cadherin promoter, might contribute to the pathogenesis of BCC.

Key words: Carcinoma, basal cell, Mcthylation, Cadherins