title: p63 as a prognostic marker for giant cell tumor of bone.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Giant cell tumor of bone (GCT) is sometimes difficult to distinguish from other giant-cell-rich tumors such as chondroblastoma (CHB) and aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC). The usefulness of p63 as a diagnostic marker for GCT is controversial. While there have been no reports about p63 as a prognostic marker for local recurrence, various p63-positive rates in GCT have been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate retrospectively whether p63 is useful as a diagnostic marker and/or a prognostic marker for local recurrence of GCT.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 36 patients diagnosed with either GCT (n = 16), CHB (n = 9), ABC (n = 7), or non-ossifying fibroma (NOF) (n = 4). p63 immunostaining was performed for all specimens. The mean p63-positive rate was compared with the four diseases and between the recurrent and non-recurrent cases of GCT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although the mean p63-positive rate for GCT (36.3%) was statistically higher than that of all other diseases examined (CHB: 15.2%; ABC: 5.8%; NOF: 3.4%), p63 was not specific for GCT. The mean p63-positive rate for recurrent GCT cases (73.6%) was statistically higher than that for non-recurrent cases (29.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the diagnosis of GCT, p63 is a useful but not a conclusive marker. However, p63 did appear to indicate the biological aggressiveness of GCT. Therefore, p63 may help surgeons to estimate the risk of recurrence after surgery and help them to choose the best treatment for each GCT case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan. yanagi96@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Michiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yanagisawa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kakizaki
authors.forename: Kyoji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Torigoe
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kusumi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D018212:Giant Cell Tumor of Bone / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: C081876:CKAP4 protein, human; D008565:Membrane Proteins