title: Immunohistochemical expression of beta-catenin in solitary fibrous tumors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Immunohistochemical staining for beta-catenin may be used as an indicator of the integrity of the Wnt signaling and beta-catenin degradation pathways. Among mesenchymal tumors, aberrant nuclear localization of beta-catenin is seen in desmoid-type fibromatoses but has not been described for solitary fibrous tumors that may mimic the former lesions, especially in small biopsy samples.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the immunohistochemical expression of beta-catenin in solitary fibrous tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed immunohistochemical staining for beta-catenin in 12 solitary fibrous tumors, one of which showed histologic features of malignancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the tumors showed strong and diffuse reactivity for beta-catenin. Four tumors (33%) showed nuclear staining for beta-catenin, whereas the remaining tumors showed either a membranous or mixed membranous and cytoplasmic pattern of staining. The only histologically malignant tumor of the group showed a mixed membranous and cytoplasmic pattern of staining for beta-catenin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Immunohistochemical staining for beta-catenin in solitary fibrous tumors does not show a consistent pattern, which may be due to differences in tumorigenesis. Larger studies with clinical follow-up are required for estimating the impact of the variable staining pattern on clinical behavior of these tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA. dinesh.rakheja@utsouthwestern.edu
authors.forename: Dinesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rakheja
authors.forename: Kyle H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Molberg
authors.forename: Cory A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Vilkesh R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Jaiswal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005350:Fibroma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051176:beta Catenin