title: [Glypican 3 expression in hepatoblastoma and its diagnostic implication].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the expression and diagnostic significance of glypican-3 (GPC3) in hepatoblastoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five tissue microarray paraffin blocks were constructed to include 54 cases of hepatoblastoma. The tumor tissue samples were obtained from 3 surgical biopsies, 33 needle biopsies, 5 stage I resection tumors, and 13 stage II resection tumors after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. Ten samples of non-neoplastic hepatic tissue adjacent to tumor were used as control. Immunohistochemical staining of GPC3 (clone 1G12) was performed. Among the 54 cases of hepatoblastoma, 22 cases were fetal subtype, 24 cases were mixed fetal and embryonal subtype and 8 cases were mixed epithelial and mesenchymal type.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GPC3 was positive in fetal epithelial cells (54/54, 100%), but negative or weakly positive in embryonic epithelial cells in all cases of hepatoblastoma. Undifferentiated small cells and all mesenchymal components were negative for the expression. Non-neoplastic hepatocytes adjacent to tumor were negative for GPC3 expression (0/10) .
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fetal epithelial components of hepatoblastoma express GPC3 protein detectable by immunohistochemistry. Normal hepatocytes after birth, small cell undifferentiated and embryonic epithelial components of hepatoblastoma do not or weakly express GPC3 protein. Therefore, GPC3 immunohistochemistry offers a valuable aid to the diagnosis of hepatoblastoma in infants and children.
authors: Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou 510623, China.
authors: Feng-hua
authors: FH
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Pathology, Kiang Wu Hospital, Macau, China; E-mail: wenjm@mail.sysu.edu.
authors: Jian-ming
authors: JM
authors: Wen
authors: Heong-ting
authors: HT
authors: Vong
authors: Yuk-ching
authors: YC
authors: Yip
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D053673:Glypicans / Q000378:metabolism*; D018197:Hepatoblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male
chemical_list: C105937:GPC3 protein, human; D053673:Glypicans