title: Expression of PSMA in tumor neovasculature of high grade sarcomas including synovial sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, undifferentiated sarcoma and MPNST.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen) is physiologically expressed in normal prostate tissue. It is overexpressed in prostate cancer cells and has been suggested as a target for antibody-based radioligand therapy. As PSMA expression so far has not been systematically analyzed in soft tissue tumors, the current study aims at investigating a large cohort of different subtypes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemistry was used to detect PSMA expression in 779 samples of soft tissue tumors and Ewing sarcoma as a primary bone malignancy. CD34 coexpression was employed to study PSMA expression in the neovasculature. PSMA expression was found in the tumor-associated neovasculature of 151/779 soft tissue/bone tumors (19.38%) and was more frequent in malignant tumors compared to tumors with intermediate or benign biological potential (p=0.078). Strong neovascular PSMA expression was predominantly observed in subsets of different sarcomas including 3/20 rhabdomyosarcomas (15%), 4/21 malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (19.05%), 6/16 synovial sarcomas (35.29%) and 6/33 undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas (18.18%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that PSMA is expressed in the neovasculature of a subset of soft tissue tumors to a variable extent. Our observation of strong PSMA expression predominantly occurring in sarcomas might provide a rationale to evaluate PSMA-targeted radioligand therapy in these entities.
authors.affiliation: Gerhard Domagk Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Münster, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Birthe
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heitkötter
authors.affiliation: Gerhard Domagk Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Münster, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trautmann
authors.affiliation: Gerhard Domagk Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Münster, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grünewald
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University Hospital Münster, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bögemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Münster, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Kambiz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rahbar
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Heidrun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gevensleben
authors.affiliation: Gerhard Domagk Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Münster, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wardelmann
authors.affiliation: Gerhard Domagk Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Münster, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.affiliation: Gerhard Domagk Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Münster, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Steinestel
authors.affiliation: Gerhard Domagk Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Münster, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huss
mesh_terms: D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000378:metabolism*; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012512:Sarcoma, Ewing / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013584:Sarcoma, Synovial / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis / Q000379:methods; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: C549870:KLK3 protein, human; D007610:Kallikreins; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen
keywords: PSMA; neovasculature; sarcoma; soft tissue tumor; therapy