The expression and modulation of CEACAM1 and tumor cell transformation.

Background: In this review, we focus our discussion on one class of carcinoembryonic antigen- related cell adhesion molecules, Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules 1 (CEACAM1). This has been observed in several malignant transformations to be subjected to complex mechanisms of modulation and dysregulation.

Aims: Restoration of CEACAM1 expression in tumor cell lines often abolishes their oncogenicity in vivo, and therefore, this adhesion molecule has been regarded as a tumor suppressor. In contrast, de novo expression of CEACAM1 is found with the progression of malignancy and metastatic spread in a large array of cancer tissues which include melanoma, Non Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC) as well as bladder, prostate, thyroid, breast, colon and gastric carcinomas.

Discussion: We report and discuss the most significant findings confirming at immunohistochemical and clinical level the correlation between poor prognosis and expression of CEACAM1 on the cell surface of tumors.