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c‐erbB‐2 protein is expressed in hepatolithiasis and cholangiocarcinoma
Author(s) -
Terada T,
Ashida K,
Endo K,
Horie S,
Maeta H,
Matsunaga Y,
Takashima K,
Ohta T,
Kitamura Y
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2559.1998.00496.x
Subject(s) - hepatolithiasis , immunohistochemistry , medicine , biology , cancer research , oncology , hepatectomy , resection , surgery
Aims The c‐erbB‐2 proto‐oncogene encodes a transmembrane protein which is highly homologous to epidermal growth factor receptor. Overexpression of this c‐erbB‐2 protein has been reported in many human carcinomas, including breast carcinoma. However, there have been few studies of the expression of c‐erbB‐2 in cholangiocarcinoma and hepatolithiasis, a condition occasionally associated with cholangiocarcinoma. Methods and results In this study, we evaluated immunoreactivity for the c‐erbB‐2 protein in human cholangiocarcinomas ( n = 47), hepatolithiasis ( n = 20), fetal livers ( n = 36) and normal adult livers ( n = 6). In normal adult livers and fetal livers, expression of c‐erbB‐2 protein could not be detected in hepatocytes or intrahepatic biliary cells. In hepatolithiasis, there was overexpression of c‐erbB‐2 in 15/20 (75%). The expression was found with a membranous pattern on the proliferated intrahepatic bile ducts and proliferated intrahepatic peribiliary glands around the bile ducts containing stones. Hepatocytes were negative for c‐erbB‐2 protein. Moreover, the biliary cell expression of the c‐erbB‐2 protein correlated significantly with Ki67 labelling index. On the other hand, aberrant expression of c‐erbB‐2 was found in 33/47 (70%) cholangiocarcinomas. The c‐erbB‐2 expression in cholangiocarcinomas did not correlate with Ki67 labelling index or p53 expression. Conclusions These results indicate that aberrant expression of c‐erbB‐2 protein is found in cholangiocarcinoma and also in noncancerous biliary proliferative lesions such as hepatolithiasis. These findings also suggest that c‐erbB‐2 oncogene participates not only in cholangiocarcinogenesis but also in biliary cell proliferation in non‐neoplastic conditions.