Relationship of β-catenin and postchemotherapy histopathologic changes with overall survival in patients with hepatoblastoma.
OBJECTIVE
Histopathologic spectrum and expression of β-catenin were analyzed in patients with hepatoblastoma, diagnosed over a period of 14 years. These were correlated with the survival outcome. The morphologic features subsequent to chemotherapy were also analyzed.


RESULTS
Histomorphologic features were studied on paraffin-embedded sections. There were 24 cases with 15 fetal, 4 embryonal, 4 macrotrabecular, and 1 of small cell subtype. Follow-up was available in 20 cases (mean = 16.8 mo). β-catenin immunostaining performed by indirect immunoperoxidase method revealed 14 cases with nuclear and 10 cases with cytoplasmic positivity. Statistical analysis revealed no significant correlation between morphologic subtype and survival. Significant difference in survival was noted with respect to tumor stage, mitotic index, and β-catenin staining pattern. Cases with nuclear expression had a mean survival of 71.54 ± 8.1 months in comparison with 14.71 ± 6.5 months in cases with cytoplasmic expression. Besides osteoid and cartilage formation, interesting postchemotherapy findings were the presence of tumoral maturation, hepatocellular carcinoma-like areas, peliotic-like foci, and "glomeruloid clusters."


CONCLUSIONS
Nuclear β-catenin expression is not a poor prognostic factor and this might be indicative of different genetic alterations in hepatoblastoma in the Indian subcontinent. There was no significant correlation between histologic subtype and osteoid differentiation with survival. The histopathologic changes observed were peliotic-like areas, tumoral maturation, hepatocellular carcinoma-like changes, and glomeruloid clusters besides the well-established features of osteoid differentiation after chemotherapy.
Department of Histopathology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India. kirtigupta10@yahoo.co.in
Kirti
K
Gupta
Swapnil
S
Rane
Ashim
A
Das
Ram Kumar
RK
Marwaha
Prema
P
Menon
K L N
KL
Rao
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D018197:Hepatoblastoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007223:Infant; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008940:Mitotic Index; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000032:analysis*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051176:beta Catenin