Abstract
The diagnostic and prognostic relevance of desmin expression in 80 rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) and 5 embryonal sarcomas (ES) was examined using a peroxidase anti-peroxidase staining procedure. Fifty-nine RMS but only one ES stained for desmin (P less than 0.05). The maximum percentage of desmin containing cells was 49 in RMS compared with only 1% in ES. Desmin positivity correlated inversely with survival (P less than 0.02) in that RMS with high proportions of desmin positive cells were associated with poorer prognoses than those containing fewer desmin positive cells. If the degree of expression of desmin is related to myogenic differentiation, then our results indicate that poorly differentiated RMS tend to have a better prognosis than the well differentiated tumours. One possible explanation is that the poorly differentiated RMS respond better to chemotherapy than to well differentiated RMS. A multivariant analysis incorporating desmin staining, treatment, histology, age and gender revealed that the two most significant independent prognostic factors were treatment and histology.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Altmannsberger M., Weber K., Droste R., Osborn M. Desmin is a specific marker for rhabdomyosarcomas of human and rat origin. Am J Pathol. 1985 Jan;118(1):85–95. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Favara B. E., Galliani C. A., Wakely P. E., Jr Advances in the care of the child with cancer. The importance of histologic subclassification of tumors. Cancer. 1986 Jul 15;58(2 Suppl):426–441. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19860715)58:2+<426::aid-cncr2820581305>3.0.co;2-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Harms D., Schmidt D., Treuner J. Soft-tissue sarcomas in childhood. A study of 262 cases including 169 cases of rhabdomyosarcoma. Z Kinderchir. 1985 Jun;40(3):140–145. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1059733. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kahn H. J., Yeger H., Kassim O., Jorgensen A. O., MacLennan D. H., Baumal R., Smith C. R., Phillips M. J. Immunohistochemical and electron microscopic assessment of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma. Increased frequency of diagnosis over routine histologic methods. Cancer. 1983 May 15;51(10):1897–1903. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19830515)51:10<1897::aid-cncr2820511023>3.0.co;2-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Latchaw J. P., Hahn J. F., Moylan D. J., Humphries R., Mealey J., Jr Medulloblastoma. Period of risk reviewed. Cancer. 1985 Jan 1;55(1):186–189. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19850101)55:1<186::aid-cncr2820550129>3.0.co;2-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Molenaar W. M., Oosterhuis J. W., Kamps W. A. Cytologic "differentiation" in childhood rhabdomyosarcomas following polychemotherapy. Hum Pathol. 1984 Oct;15(10):973–979. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(84)80127-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Molenaar W. M., Oosterhuis J. W., Oosterhuis A. M., Ramaekers F. C. Mesenchymal and muscle-specific intermediate filaments (vimentin and desmin) in relation to differentiation in childhood rhabdomyosarcomas. Hum Pathol. 1985 Aug;16(8):838–843. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(85)80256-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wold L. E., Li C. Y., Homburger H. A. Localization of the B and M polypeptide subunits of creatine kinase in normal and neoplastic human tissues by an immunoperoxidase technic. Am J Clin Pathol. 1981 Mar;75(3):327–332. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/75.3.327. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- de Jong A. S., van Kessel-van Vark M., Albus-Lutter C. E., Voûte P. A. Creatine kinase subunits M and B as markers in the diagnosis of poorly differentiated rhabdomyosarcomas in children. Hum Pathol. 1985 Sep;16(9):924–928. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(85)80131-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]