This study aims were to analyze and compare the E- and N-cadherin, β- and α-catenin expression in benign and malignant epithelial neoplasms of the ovary, correlating with tumor staging, histological grade, and presence of metastases during evolution.

Immunohistochemical reactions were performed on paraffin-embedded tissues and evaluated according to the number of positive, stained cellular structures and reaction intensity for each molecule. Information about histological type and grade, tumoral stage, and disease evolution was obtained from the patients' clinical records.

Most of the carcinomas showed more intense β-catenin reaction (P = 0.02). More than 50% of the endometrioid carcinomas showed increased β-catenin expression, with a large number of positive cells and more intense staining, being the same also observed for most of the serous benign tumors (P < 0.01). E-cadherin membrane expression was frequently observed in carcinomas without metastasis, whereas cases with metastases in evolution were negative or showing E-cadherin expression only in the cytoplasm (P = 0.04). N-cadherin expression differed according to histological type and grade and α-catenin was also related to histological type, but these findings were not conclusive.

Increased β-catenin expression was more frequent in ovarian carcinomas, especially, but not only, in the endometrioid ones. The maintenance of E-cadherin expression in cellular membrane may be an independent marker of good prognosis in ovarian cancer. New studies about N-cadherin and α-catenin and their importance during ovarian carcinogenesis will be required.