Correlation of growth factor receptor expression with clinical growth in vestibular schwannomas.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between growth rate of vestibular schwannomas and the expression of various growth factor receptors.


METHODS
Retrospective case review of clinical growth rate in conjunction with a histopathologic and immunohistochemical reexamination of archival specimens.


METHODS
A tertiary referral neurotologic center.


METHODS
Three groups: a historical group to act as controls, consisting of 30 patients with sporadic vestibular schwannomas removed before the unit adopted an initial interval scan policy; a group of 14 patients with sporadic vestibular schwannomas who had undergone an initial interval scan policy, showed radiologic evidence of growth, and therefore had their schwannoma removed; and a group of 16 schwannomas removed from 11 neurofibromatosis Type 2 patients.


METHODS
A comparison between the three clinical groups using immunohistochemical studies to determine the level of expression of the proliferation factor Ki-67, c-erbB-2, and c-erbB-3 receptors and fibroblastic growth factor receptors 1 and 4.


RESULTS
The level of expression of the proliferation factor Ki-67 was very low and similar in all three groups. C-erbB-2 and c-erbB-3 receptors were not expressed in any of the groups. fibroblastic growth factor receptor 4 expression was not significantly different, but there was a variation in the expression of fibroblastic growth factor receptor 1 between the three groups that correlated well with the differing incidence of growth in the groups. The increase in expression of fibroblastic growth factor receptor 1 in the neurofibromatosis Type 2 group was not statistically significant, but the increase in expression of fibroblastic growth factor receptor 1 in the growing sporadic group was statistically significant when compared with the historical controls. The level of fibroblastic growth factor receptor 1 expression correlates significantly with the rate of growth as measured on interval magnetic resonance imaging.


CONCLUSIONS
Overexpression of fibroblastic growth factor receptor 1 has a positive correlation with the incidence and the rate of growth of sporadic vestibular schwannomas.
O'Reilly
Brian F
BF
Department of Neuro-Otology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland. brian.o'reilly@northglasgow.scot.nhs.uk
Kishore
Ameet
A
Crowther
John A
JA
Smith
Colin
C
D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016518:Neurofibromatosis 2 / Q000150:complications; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1; D051499:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 4; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1; D051499:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 4; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor; C496348:FGFR1 protein, human; C496371:FGFR4 protein, human