It is now known that not only does its reduced expression play a role in the transition to a malignant phenotype and in cancer progression but that the proteolysis of E-cadherin by several proteases converts the mature 120-kDa E-cadherin to an extracellular N-terminal 80-kDa fragment termed soluble E-cadherin (sE-cadherin), which serves as a paracrine/autocrine signaling molecule in cancer (11). This evidence concerns the gene CDH1 and cancer.