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β-Catenin Overexpression in Dupuytren’s Disease Is Unrelated to Disease Recurrence

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Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research

Abstract

Recurrence of Dupuytren’s contracture is common yet unpredictable, compromising surgical outcome. The α-smooth muscle actin-containing myofibroblast is the active contractile cellular component. Based on recent reports on β-catenin accumulation in Dupuytren’s disease, we investigated a possible relation with disease recurrence. We divided a collection of 143 nodules into those from patients with recurrent or nonrecurrent nodules and with a minimal 3-year followup. We randomly selected 12 and 11 samples of each group, respectively. We looked at Dupuytren’s diathesis, immunohistologic staining for β-catenin and α-smooth muscle actin, and Luck’s histologic stages (zones). The expression of selected Wnt genes was examined with TaqMan® PCR in separate histologic zones. All samples showed cytoplasmic and nuclear β-catenin accumulation in myofibroblasts in involutional zones. The risk score of Abe et al. and Dupuytren’s diathesis were greater in the recurrent group. Greater Wnt5a expression in the β-catenin-accumulating involutional zone was seen. We conclude intracellular β-catenin accumulation, possibly regulated by upstream Wnt signaling pathway activation and confined in myofibroblasts in the involutional zone of Dupuytren’s diathesis, is unrelated to disease recurrence. Clinical parameters for Dupuytren’s diathesis remain the best way to predict recurrence risk.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Steffen Fieuws, PhD, for his thorough work on the statistical analyses. We also thank Bart Biesmans and Jef De Schutter for help with Wnt pathway exploration in fibroproliferative disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Orthopaedic Surgery Department, Hand Unit, University Hospitals Leuven, Pellenberg Campus, Weligerveld 1, 3212, Pellenberg, Belgium

    Ilse Degreef MD & Luc De Smet MD, PhD

  2. Department of Pathology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Campus, Leuven, Belgium

    Raf Sciot MD, PhD

  3. Department of Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Campus, Leuven, Belgium

    Jean-Jacques Cassiman MD, PhD & Sabine Tejpar MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Ilse Degreef MD
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  2. Luc De Smet MD, PhD
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  3. Raf Sciot MD, PhD
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  4. Jean-Jacques Cassiman MD, PhD
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  5. Sabine Tejpar MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Ilse Degreef MD.

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Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved or waived approval for the human protocol for this investigation and that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.

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Degreef, I., De Smet, L., Sciot, R. et al. β-Catenin Overexpression in Dupuytren’s Disease Is Unrelated to Disease Recurrence. Clin Orthop Relat Res 467, 838–845 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0590-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0590-z

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