Aberrant expression of vimentin correlates with dedifferentiation and poor prognosis in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to elucidate the prognostic value of vimentin expression in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of 21 patients who underwent resection for ICC was conducted. Vimentin expression was positive when single tumour cells or cell clusters showed immunoreactivity to vimentin, whereas vimentin-negative expression was defined as no detectable expression.


RESULTS
Of the 21 patients, 5 were classified as having tumours with vimentin-positive expression and 16 with vimentin-negative expression. Vimentin-positive expression was more frequent in tumour specimens that were poorly differentiated (4/7; 57%) than in those that were well- or moderately differentiated (1/14; 7%, p=0.025) and was always seen in areas with the highest histological grade. Vimentin-positive expression affected survival adversely, according to univariate (p=0.010) and multivariate analyses (relative risk, 4.294; p=0.047).


CONCLUSIONS
Vimentin-positive expression correlates with dedifferentiation and predicts poor survival in patients undergoing resection for ICC.
Korita
Pavel V
PV
Division of Molecular and Diagnostic Pathology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 1-757 Asahimachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata 951-8510, Japan.
Wakai
Toshifumi
T
Ajioka
Yoichi
Y
Inoue
Makoto
M
Takamura
Masaaki
M
Shirai
Yoshio
Y
Hatakeyama
Katsuyoshi
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D014746:Vimentin / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*
D014746:Vimentin