André Ivan Bradley dos Santos Dias1, Camila Girardi Fachin2, Lucimar Retto Silva Avó3, Caio Vinicius Gonçalves Frazão2, Eliana Maria Monteiro Caran4, Sérgio Tomaz Schettini2, Maria Teresa Seixas Alves3, Raul C Ribeiro5, Simone de Campos Vieira Abib4. 1. Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/ Escola Paulista de Medicina - UNIFESP/EPM, Rua Coronel Lisboa, 687, São Paulo-SP, 04020-041, Brasil. Electronic address: andrebradleymd@gmail.com. 2. Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/ Escola Paulista de Medicina - UNIFESP/EPM, Rua Coronel Lisboa, 687, São Paulo-SP, 04020-041, Brasil. 3. Department of Pathology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/ Escola Paulista de Medicina - UNIFESP/EPM, Rua Botucatu, 740, São Paulo-SP, 04023-062, Brasil. 4. Instituto de Oncologia Pediátrica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/ Escola Paulista de Medicina - UNIFESP/EPM, Rua Botucatu, 743, São Paulo, SP, 04023-062, Brasil. 5. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105-3678.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE: Pediatric adrenocortical tumor (ACT) remains a challenging disease. Tumor weight and disease stage are still the most used indicators to prognosis and guidance of clinical decisions. Histology has not added meaningful data for risk stratification and management. ACT is metabolically active, highly vascularized, locally invasive and has the propensity to produce distant metastasis. Our objective was to correlate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and intratumoral microvessel density (MVD) with clinical and prognostic aspects in pediatric ACT. PROCEDURE: In 27 tumors, immunohistochemical expression of VEGF, CD105 (endoglin) and CD34 was analyzed. MVD was determined by CD34 and CD105 antibodies. MVD and VEGF expression was correlated with clinical characteristics and outcome. Normal pediatric glands were used as controls. RESULTS: Endoglin MVD was significantly higher and CD34 MVD was significantly lower in ACT than control. The VEGF expression did not differ between groups. Cytoplasmic staining for endoglin was correlated with hypertension in ACT. Endoglin MVD greater than 1 mv/field, CD34 MVD less than 32 mv/field and VEGF expression levels above 4.8% were associated with clinical and biological indicators of poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Endoglin and CD34 MVD values are potential histological markers to refine the histologic classification of pediatric ACT.
BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE:Pediatric adrenocortical tumor (ACT) remains a challenging disease. Tumor weight and disease stage are still the most used indicators to prognosis and guidance of clinical decisions. Histology has not added meaningful data for risk stratification and management. ACT is metabolically active, highly vascularized, locally invasive and has the propensity to produce distant metastasis. Our objective was to correlate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and intratumoral microvessel density (MVD) with clinical and prognostic aspects in pediatric ACT. PROCEDURE: In 27 tumors, immunohistochemical expression of VEGF, CD105 (endoglin) and CD34 was analyzed. MVD was determined by CD34 and CD105 antibodies. MVD and VEGF expression was correlated with clinical characteristics and outcome. Normal pediatric glands were used as controls. RESULTS:Endoglin MVD was significantly higher and CD34 MVD was significantly lower in ACT than control. The VEGF expression did not differ between groups. Cytoplasmic staining for endoglin was correlated with hypertension in ACT. Endoglin MVD greater than 1 mv/field, CD34 MVD less than 32 mv/field and VEGF expression levels above 4.8% were associated with clinical and biological indicators of poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS:Endoglin and CD34 MVD values are potential histological markers to refine the histologic classification of pediatric ACT.