C-C Pan1, P C-H Chen, L-S Wang, J-Y Lee, H Chiang. 1. Department of Pathology, National Yang-Ming University, and Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taiwan. ccpan@vghtpe.gov.tw
Abstract
AIMS: To correlate the expression of a series of apoptotic and oncogene markers (including p53, Bcl-2, BAX, Bcl-XL, p21WAF,1/CIP1, cyclin D1, HER-2/neu) in thymic epithelial tumours with histological type, stage and resectability and to determine whether the information on HER-2/neu would be valuable in identifying patients who are eligible for anti-HER-2/neu treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS: Immunohistochemical stains were performed on 16 cases of non-neoplastic thymus, 63 thymomas and 17 thymic carcinomas. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) for HER2 was performed to validate the gene amplification. Eighteen thymomas were positive for p53 and 14 of them were low-expressors, with positive cells below 10%. All thymic carcinomas revealed over-expression of p53 with positive cells either between 10% and 50% or >50%. The expression of p53 correlated with histological type and stage in thymoma. In both thymoma and thymic carcinoma, there was a statistically significant correlation between p53 status and resectability, with low expressors having a higher likelihood of being resectable. Thymic carcinomas, regardless of the histological subtypes, uniformly expressed Bcl-2, while thymomas showed no or only weak cytoplasmic immunoreactivity. Most thymomas and thymic carcinomas were negative for Bcl-XL, p21WAF,1/CIP1 and cyclin D1. The expression of BAX was inconsistent among different histological types. Nine thymic carcinomas revealed membranous positivity for HER-2/neu, but no HER2 gene amplification could be demonstrated by FISH in any of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: p53 and Bcl-2 are more implicated in the development of thymic carcinoma than thymoma. The higher level of p53 expression and the strong immunopositive pattern of Bcl-2 in thymic carcinomas have potential value in the differential diagnosis and prediction of aggressiveness and resectability. On account of the absence of HER2 amplification, patients would probably not benefit from anti-HER-2/neu treatment.
AIMS: To correlate the expression of a series of apoptotic and oncogene markers (including p53, Bcl-2, BAX, Bcl-XL, p21WAF,1/CIP1, cyclin D1, HER-2/neu) in thymic epithelial tumours with histological type, stage and resectability and to determine whether the information on HER-2/neu would be valuable in identifying patients who are eligible for anti-HER-2/neu treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS: Immunohistochemical stains were performed on 16 cases of non-neoplastic thymus, 63 thymomas and 17 thymic carcinomas. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) for HER2 was performed to validate the gene amplification. Eighteen thymomas were positive for p53 and 14 of them were low-expressors, with positive cells below 10%. All thymic carcinomas revealed over-expression of p53 with positive cells either between 10% and 50% or >50%. The expression of p53 correlated with histological type and stage in thymoma. In both thymoma and thymic carcinoma, there was a statistically significant correlation between p53 status and resectability, with low expressors having a higher likelihood of being resectable. Thymic carcinomas, regardless of the histological subtypes, uniformly expressed Bcl-2, while thymomas showed no or only weak cytoplasmic immunoreactivity. Most thymomas and thymic carcinomas were negative for Bcl-XL, p21WAF,1/CIP1 and cyclin D1. The expression of BAX was inconsistent among different histological types. Nine thymic carcinomas revealed membranous positivity for HER-2/neu, but no HER2 gene amplification could be demonstrated by FISH in any of the cases. CONCLUSIONS:p53 and Bcl-2 are more implicated in the development of thymic carcinoma than thymoma. The higher level of p53 expression and the strong immunopositive pattern of Bcl-2 in thymic carcinomas have potential value in the differential diagnosis and prediction of aggressiveness and resectability. On account of the absence of HER2 amplification, patients would probably not benefit from anti-HER-2/neu treatment.
Authors: Vincent Thomas de Montpréville; Maria-Rosa Ghigna; Ludovic Lacroix; Benjamin Besse; Philippe Broet; Philippe Dartevelle; Elie Fadel; Peter Dorfmuller Journal: Virchows Arch Date: 2013-01-15 Impact factor: 4.064
Authors: I Petrini; P S Meltzer; P A Zucali; J Luo; C Lee; A Santoro; H S Lee; K J Killian; Y Wang; M Tsokos; M Roncalli; S M Steinberg; Y Wang; G Giaccone Journal: Cell Death Dis Date: 2012-07-19 Impact factor: 8.469
Authors: Franz Enkner; Bettina Pichlhöfer; Alexandru Teodor Zaharie; Milica Krunic; Tina Maria Holper; Stefan Janik; Bernhard Moser; Karin Schlangen; Barbara Neudert; Karin Walter; Brigitte Migschitz; Leonhard Müllauer Journal: Pathol Oncol Res Date: 2016-11-14 Impact factor: 3.201
Authors: Bei Huang; Djeda Belharazem; Li Li; Susanne Kneitz; Philipp A Schnabel; Ralf J Rieker; Daniel Körner; Wilfred Nix; Berthold Schalke; Hans Konrad Müller-Hermelink; German Ott; Andreas Rosenwald; Philipp Ströbel; Alexander Marx Journal: Front Oncol Date: 2013-12-31 Impact factor: 6.244