Kozo Kuribayashi1, Hiroshi Hirano2, Keiji Nakasho3, Hideki Ohyama3, Koji Yamanegi3, Chiharu Tabata4, Kazuya Fukuoka5, Yoshihiro Fujimori6, Takashi Nakano4. 1. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Murakami Memorial Hospital, Asahi University, Gifu, Japan kuririn@murakami.asahi-u.ac.jp. 2. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Toneyama National Hospital, Osaka, Japan. 3. Department of Pathology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan. 4. Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan Department of Thoracic Oncology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan. 5. Department of Genetics, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan. 6. Division of Blood Transfusion, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan.
Abstract
AIM: In order to determine if metastatic malignant mesothelioma cells are more aggressive than primary malignant mesothelioma cells, an analysis of the expression of the adhesion molecules E-cadherin and β-catenin, concomitant with an assessment of the proliferative activity at primary and metastatic sites, was conducted in post-mortem samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: E-cadherin or β-catenin expression was graded according to the percentage of positively-stained tumor cells. The proliferative activity was quantified by the Ki-67 labeling index. RESULTS: Histologically, the majority of metastatic tumors matched the primary tumor. In the epithelioid component of primary tumors, E-cadherin and β-catenin expression ranged from 1+ to 4+. CONCLUSION: Malignant mesothelioma cells acquire a higher proliferative potential after metastasis, without any significant changes in their histology, although metastasis produces no definite trend on the expression of E-cadherin or β-catenin. Copyright
AIM: In order to determine if metastatic malignant mesothelioma cells are more aggressive than primary malignant mesothelioma cells, an analysis of the expression of the adhesion molecules E-cadherin and β-catenin, concomitant with an assessment of the proliferative activity at primary and metastatic sites, was conducted in post-mortem samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS:E-cadherin or β-catenin expression was graded according to the percentage of positively-stained tumor cells. The proliferative activity was quantified by the Ki-67 labeling index. RESULTS: Histologically, the majority of metastatic tumors matched the primary tumor. In the epithelioid component of primary tumors, E-cadherin and β-catenin expression ranged from 1+ to 4+. CONCLUSION:Malignant mesothelioma cells acquire a higher proliferative potential after metastasis, without any significant changes in their histology, although metastasis produces no definite trend on the expression of E-cadherin or β-catenin. Copyright