title: Brachyury: a diagnostic marker for the differential diagnosis of chordoma and hemangioblastoma versus neoplastic histological mimickers.
abstract: Brachyury is a transcription factor which is required for posterior mesoderm formation and differentiation as well as for notochord development during embryogenesis. Due to its expression in the neoplastic cells of chordoma, a malignant tumour deriving from notochordal remnants, but not in tumors showing a similar histology, brachyury has been proposed as a diagnostic marker of this neoplasia. Though commonly considered a hallmark of chordoma, the expression of brachyury has been also documented in the stromal cells of hemangioblastoma (HBL), a slow growing tumor which may involve the central nervous system (CNS) and, rarely, the kidney. Herein we review the role of brachyury immunohistochemical detection in the identification and differential diagnosis of chordoma and HBL towards histological mimickers and suggest that brachyury is added to the panel of immunohistochemical markers for the recognition of HBL in routinary practice, principally in unusual sites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology "G. Barresi", University of Messina, Italy ; Dipartimento di Patologia Umana, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria "Policlinico G. Martino", Pad. D, Via Consolare Valeria 1, 98125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7086-1920
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barresi
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology "G. Barresi", University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ieni
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology "G. Barresi", University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Branca
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology "G. Barresi", University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1561-4246
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tuccari
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D002817:Chordoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005326:Fetal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018325:Hemangioblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D018716:Molecular Mimicry; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000098908:Brachyury Protein
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005326:Fetal Proteins; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D000098908:Brachyury Protein