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The expression of c‐Met pathway components in unclassified pleomorphic sarcoma/malignant fibrous histiocytoma (UPS/MFH): a tissue microarray study
Author(s) -
Lahat Guy,
Zhang Pingyu,
Zhu QuanSheng,
Torres Keila,
Ghadimi Markus,
Smith Kerrington D,
Wang WeiLien,
Lazar Alexander J,
Lev Dina
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2011.03946.x
Subject(s) - tissue microarray , protein kinase b , hepatocyte growth factor , mapk/erk pathway , sarcoma , kinase , immunohistochemistry , undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma , cancer research , protein kinase a , pathology , medicine , biology , signal transduction , soft tissue sarcoma , microbiology and biotechnology , receptor
Lahat G, Zhang P, Zhu Q‐S, Torres K, Ghadimi M, Smith K D, Wang W‐L, Lazar A J & Lev D
(2011) Histopathology 59 , 556–561 The expression of c‐Met pathway components in unclassified pleomorphic sarcoma/malignant fibrous histiocytoma (UPS/MFH): a tissue microarray study Aims: Subclassification of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma/malignant fibrous histiocytoma (UPS/MFH) into distinct biological cohorts based on the expression patterns of molecular markers can identify patient subsets with especially unfavourable clinical outcomes. Identification of molecular prognosticators amenable for drug targeting can facilitate rational development of UPS/MFH tailored therapies. The aim was to evaluate expression of c‐Met pathway components in a large cohort of UPS/MFH samples. Methods and results: An immunohistochemical analysis for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), c‐Met, phospho‐c‐Met (pc‐Met), phospho‐mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) also known as mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (p‐MEK) and phospho‐protein kinase B (p‐AKT) was performed on a clinically annotated tissue microarray of 158 UPS/MFH samples. Univariable and multivariable analyses were conducted to evaluate the correlation of molecular variables with UPS/MFH disease specific survival. All evaluated markers were expressed in UPS/MFH to varying levels. Most importantly, strong HGF, pc‐Met, p‐MEK and p‐AKT expression correlated significantly with dismal patient outcome on univariable statistical analysis. Expression of p‐MEK and p‐AKT remained statistically significant independent prognosticators on multivariable analysis. Conclusions: c‐Met pathway components and especially p‐MEK and p‐AKT are potential prognostic biomarkers for UPS/MFH; their inclusion in future molecular‐based staging systems should be evaluated. Furthermore, novel approaches targeting HGF, c‐Met, MEK/extracellular‐regulated kinase (ERK) and/or AKT should be considered for a subset of UPS/MFH patients.