Patients showing an ‘E-cadherin reduced and Snail positive’ profile, in either the primary tumours or corresponding metastases, respectively, had a 6-fold and 4.2-fold increased risk of death (P=0.002 and 0.022, respectively) when compared to the patient group with a ‘normal epithelial’ expression profile of ‘E-cadherin positive and Snail negative’. This evidence concerns the gene CDH1 and neoplasm.