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Fibrolamellar carcinoma of the liver: Composition of the extracellular matrix and expression of cell‐matrix and cell‐cell adhesion molecules
Author(s) -
Scoazec J,
Flejou J,
D'Errico A,
Fiorentino M,
Zamparelli A,
Bringuier A,
Feldmann G,
Grigioni W F
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.510240525
Subject(s) - cell adhesion molecule , extracellular matrix , pathology , tenascin , stroma , cd44 , integrin , epithelial cell adhesion molecule , cadherin , biology , cell , carcinoma , basement membrane , cancer research , chemistry , immunohistochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , fibronectin , biochemistry
Abstract We have analyzed the composition of the tumor stroma and the expression of cell‐matrix and cell‐cell adhesion molecules in 11 cases of fibrolamellar carcinoma of the liver (FLC), in comparison with 34 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and 8 cases of focal nodular hyperplasia. Fibrolamellar carcinoma was characterized by the presence of large amounts of tenascin in tumor stroma and by the scarce expression of basement membrane components at the contact of neoplastic clusters. Like normal hepatocytes, neoplastic cells constantly expressed the α1 integrin chain, lacked the β4 integrin chain, and coexpressed E‐cadherin and the hepatocyte N‐related cadherin. Abnormalities in the expression of cell adhesion molecules, including altered cadherin expression, αV integrin chain induction, and CD44 expression, were detected in the majority of cases. The composition of the tumor stroma and the pattern of expression of cell adhesion molecules in fibrolamellar carcinoma were reminiscent of those observed in grade III and grade IV hepatocellular carcinomas. Our results therefore show that, despite its slow local growth and good prognosis, fibrolamellar carcinoma expresses many characteristics usually associated with clinically aggressive malignancies. Further studies are needed to identify the factors responsible for the apparent dissociation between clinical behavior and biological characteristics in this tumor.