Expression of the caveolins in dermal vascular tumors.
BACKGROUND
Histopathologic criteria are usually sufficient for the accurate distinction of benign from malignant dermal vascular tumors. A minority of cases, however, pose a vexing diagnostic dilemma. Recent studies suggest that caveolin, a scaffolding cell membrane protein, may prove helpful in predicting the biologic behavior of endothelial-derived neoplasms.


METHODS
We analyzed a series of 30 dermal vascular tumors including 12 lobular capillary hemangiomas (LCH), 4 cases of targetoid hemosiderotic hemangiomas (TH), 4 cases of tufted angioma (TA), 12 cases of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), 4 epithelioid (EH) and 1 spindle cell hemangioendothelioma (SH), and 4 cases of angiosarcoma (AS). The distribution of immunoreactivity was analyzed by quantifying cell membrane staining in each case.


RESULTS
There was a statistically significant difference in the expression of caveolin between LCH (mean labeling index=91.6), TH (mean labeling index=89.7), and TA (mean labeling index=87.2) and the cases of KS (mean labeling index=21.6, EH mean labeling index= 23.1), and the AS (mean labeling index=6.3).


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that antibodies to caveolin may be useful in separating benign and malignant dermal vascular tumors and possibly implicates this peptide in their pathogenesis.
Morgan
M B
MB
Department of Pathology, James Haley Veterans Administration Hospital, Tampa, Florida, USA. Mbkmmorgan@aol.com
Stevens
G L
GL
Tannenbaum
M
M
Salup
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D022461:Caveolins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009383:Neoplasms, Vascular Tissue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D022461:Caveolins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins