Sarcomatous hepatocellular carcinoma: a special reference to ordinary hepatocellular carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Sarcomatous hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a worse prognosis than ordinary HCC. The relationship between the malignant potential of sarcomatous HCC and cell proliferation or cell adhesion is unknown. This study was undertaken to clarify this relationship.


METHODS
In 21 cases of sarcomatous HCC, including 16 surgically resected and five autopsy cases, immunohistochemistry was used to compare the sarcomatous component (s-comp) and the ordinary component (o-comp) within each sarcomatous HCC.


RESULTS
We found 15 epithelial-cadherin (E-cadherin)-positive cases in o-comp (79%) and nine positive cases in s-comp (43%). The difference between sarcomatous HCC and ordinary HCC in E-cadherin-positive tumor prevalence was significant (P < 0.05). The Ki-67 (MIB1) labeling index ratio was 127 +/- 40 in s-comp and 80 +/- 33 in o-comp, and there was a greater tendency to have an ability to multiply in s-comp than in o-comp (P = 0.096).


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicated that the loss of E-cadherin related to a morphological alteration in sarcomatous HCC; however, no relationship in respect to the malignant potential was found.
Nishi
Hidehiro
H
Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. masazumi@surgpath.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Taguchi
Ken-ichi
K
Asayama
Yoshiki
Y
Aishima
Shin-ichi
S
Sugimachi
Keishi
K
Nawata
Hajime
H
Tsuneyoshi
Masazumi
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000032:analysis; D051176:beta Catenin
C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin