title: The monocyte/macrophage infiltrate in 35 medulloblastomas: a paraffin-wax study.
abstract: We have studied formalin fixed, paraffin-wax embedded tissue from 35 medulloblastomas, collected over 23 years (27 non-desmoplastic and 8 desmoplastic) with KP1 and Mac387 two monoclonal anti-monocytes/macrophage (M/Ms) antibodies recommended for use on paraffin wax embedded tissue. In non-desmoplastic medulloblastomas, outside areas of necrosis, M/Ms were detected in 50% of cases with KP1 and 52% with Mac387. M/Ms were seen in 100% of desmoplastic medulloblastomas with both antibodies. Semiquantitative assessment revealed that, on average, desmoplastic tumors had at least three times as many infiltrating M/Ms as non-desmoplastic tumors. There was no significant difference in the findings with the two antibodies or, between recently embedded and "older" tumors. The findings may be indicative of the presence of a host M/Ms immune response in medulloblastoma, which may be more accentuated in desmoplastic medulloblastomas. Furthermore, we conclude that these antibodies are quite suitable for the study of infiltrating M/Ms, thus lessening (but not obviating) the need for frozen tissue for immunohistological studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropathology, Midland Centre for Neurosurgery and Neurology, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Buller
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carboni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koutsoubelis
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Coakham
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D006652:Histological Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D010232:Paraffin
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D010232:Paraffin