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Exploration of the APC/β-catenin (WNT) pathway and a histologic classification system for pulmonary artery intimal sarcoma. A study of 18 cases

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Abstract

APC, a tumor suppressor gene in the Wnt pathway, stabilizes β-catenin and controls cell growth. Mutation of APC or β-catenin leads to nuclear accumulation of β-catenin and transcription of cyclin D1/cyclin A. Pulmonary artery sarcoma (PAS) were studied by morphologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular genetic methods of the Wnt pathway. Eighteen cases were included: mean age 52 years, primary intraluminal location with typical clinical presentation. PAS were classified as epithelioid (n = 4) or malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH; spindled/pleomorphic, n = 4), myxofibrosarcoma (n = 8), and one each hemangiopericytoma-like or malignant inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor-like. The tumor cells demonstrated vimentin, focal actins, and rare focal desmin positivity. All but one were grade 2 or 3 by FNCLCC grading. Alteration in chromosome 5q21 (APC) was found in 4/14 PAS by LOH, mostly epithelioid-type; an MFH-type case demonstrated microsatellite instability (MSI) and nuclear β-catenin. Cyclin D1 was expressed in seven tumors, all myxofibrosarcoma-type. No mutations were detected in APC or β-catenin. In summary, PAS are predominantly intermediate grade myxofibrosarcoma in middle-aged males, and fatal in two-thirds of patients. Despite myofibroblastic phenotype, APC/β-catenin pathway changes are rare. Cyclin D1, only expressed in the myxofibrosarcoma-type, is likely transcribed via factors other than β-catenin.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the excellent technical support of Martina Waeber, Steffi Götz, Anja Vilberth, and Anne Pietryga-Krieger performing immunohistochemistry, LOH, and sequence analysis. We also thank Prof. E. Geissler for critical reading of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef Strauss Allee 11, D-93042, Regensburg, Germany

    A. Gaumann, F. Hofstädter, M. Woenckhaus, R. Stoehr, W. Dietmaier & A. Hartmann

  2. Department of Soft Tissue Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), 6825 16th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20306-6000, USA

    A. Gaumann & J. C. Fanburg-Smith

  3. Institute of Surgical Pathology, University of Zürich, Schmelzbergstr. 12, CH-8091, Zürich, Switzerland

    B. Bode-Lesniewska & D. R. Zimmermann

  4. Institute of Pathology, University of Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, D-55101, Mainz, Germany

    C. J. Kirkpatrick

  5. Institute of Pathology, University of Erlangen, Krankenhausstr. 12, D-91054, Erlangen, Germany

    R. Stoehr & A. Hartmann

  6. Institute of Pathology, University of Basel, Schönbeinstr. 40, Ch-4056, Basel, Switzerland

    E. C. Obermann

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  1. A. Gaumann
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  2. B. Bode-Lesniewska
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Correspondence to A. Gaumann.

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Gaumann, A., Bode-Lesniewska, B., Zimmermann, D.R. et al. Exploration of the APC/β-catenin (WNT) pathway and a histologic classification system for pulmonary artery intimal sarcoma. A study of 18 cases. Virchows Arch 453, 473–484 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-008-0671-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-008-0671-0

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