Complementary roles of beta-catenin and glutamine synthetase immunostaining in diagnosis of chemotherapy-treated and untreated hepatoblastoma

作者：Huang Wei Ju; Tsai Jia Huei; Jeng Yung Ming^*

来源：Journal of the Formosan Medical Association, 2017, 116(7): 549-553.

DOI：10.1016/j.jfma.2016.09.013

• beta-catenin
• glutamine synthetase
• hepatoblastoma

Background/Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the expression of beta-catenin and its downstream target glutamine synthetase (GS) in hepatoblastoma (HB), and to evaluate the use of these two markers for diagnosing HB.
Methods: Eighteen untreated HBs and 22 HBs resected after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were analyzed using beta-catenin and GS immunostaining.
Results: We detected nuclear beta-catenin immunostaining in nearly all untreated HBs, including in fetal and embryonal epithelial components and in mesenchymal elements. We also observed diffuse GS expression in the epithelial component; however, it was frequently absent in embryonal and mesenchymal areas. In HBs resected after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, we recognized four histological patterns: fetal, hepatocellular-carcinoma-like, clear-cell, and normal-liver-like. All these patterns displayed diffuse GS expression. Fetal pattern showed diffuse nuclear beta-catenin immunostaining. Nuclear beta-catenin immunostaining was weak in the hepatocellular-carcinoma-like and clear-cell patterns. In normal-liver-like area, beta-catenin expression was only located in the cell membrane.
Conclusion: The results suggest that nuclear beta-catenin expression and diffuse GS immunostaining are the hallmarks of HB. Although epithelial and mesenchymal components of HB display nuclear beta-catenin staining, this expression is attenuated following chemotherapy-induced cell maturation. GS immunostaining is especially useful for the assessment of section margins after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

• 出版日期2017-7