BRIEF REPORT |
Correspondence to: Cord Langner, Dept. of Pathology, Karl Franzens University Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 25, A8036 Graz, Austria. E-mail: cord.langner@uni-graz.at
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Summary |
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P63 is essential for the differentiation of normal urothelium and is also expressed in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder. We investigated p63 immunoreactivity in upper urinary tract TCC (n=53) and in renal-cell carcinoma (RCC; n=188) using a tissue microarray technique. P63 expression was detected in 51/53 (96.2%) TCCs, showing decreased expression in high-stage (pT1 and pT2 100%; pT3 90.9%) and poorly differentiated (G1 and G2 100%; G3 92%) tumors. All RCCs were negative for p63. P63 proved to be a helpful tool, even in poorly differentiated and undifferentiated renal malignancies, to distinguish TCC from RCC. (J Histochem Cytochem 51:10971099, 2003)
Key Words: upper urinary tract, transitional-cell carcinoma, renal-cell carcinoma, immunohistochemistry, differential diagnosis
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Introduction |
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DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS of renal-cell carcinomas (RCCs) and transitional-cell carcinomas (TCCs) of the renal pelvis can be difficult, especially if tumors are poorly differentiated or undifferentiated. However, a correct diagnosis is essential with respect to surgical treatment and follow-up because of the well known risk for tumor recurrence in the ureter and/or bladder in patients with pelvic TCC. In diagnostically problematic cases, keratin subtyping is usually applied because the majority of TCCs co-express keratin 7 and 20 in contrast to RCCs (
P63 comprises at least six different protein isoforms with homology to the tumor suppressor protein p53, which are generated from a single gene by two promoters and alternative splicing of the primary RNA transcript. Certain isoforms (TAp63) are capable of transactivating p53 target genes and inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and are mainly associated with the fully differentiated phenotype. Other isoforms (DeltaNp63), however, act as dominant-negative factors, inhibiting transcriptional activation by both p53 and TAp63 isoforms and are mainly associated with stem/reserve-cell populations. These findings show a switch in expression of p63 isoforms during normal cell differentiation and indicate that individual p63 isoforms may have different roles in neoplastic transformation (
A strong nuclear p63 expression in normal human tissues has been reported in the basal-cell layers of stratified and transitional epithelia and in the basal/reserve-cell population of the respiratory tract, prostate, and breast tissue (
Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded material of upper urinary tract TCCs (n=53) and RCCs (n=188) was selected from the files of our institute to investigate the expression of p63 and to assess the value of p63 for differential diagnosis in poorly differentiated and undifferentiated renal malignancies. In the RCC group, 66 (35.1%) tumors were in stage pT1a, 29 (15.4%) in pT1b, 13 (6.9%) in pT2, 39 (20.7%) in pT3a, and 41 (21.8%) in pT3b. Six (3.2%) were G1, 99 (52.7%) G2, 79 (42%) G3, and 4 (2.1%) G34 tumors. Histological subtypes (main component) were as follows: clear-cell (conventional) in 133 (70.7%), papillary in 20 (10.6%), chromophobe in 23 (12.2%), granular cell in 8 (4.3%), and spindle cell in 4 (2.1%). In the TCC group, 22 (41.5%) tumors were in stage pT1, 9 (17%) in pT2, and 22 (41.5%) in pT3. A total of 28 (52.8%) were G2 and 25 (47.2%) were G3 tumors. Neither stage pTa nor grade 1 tumors were found among the TCC group. Two specimens of non-neoplastic renal tissue were analyzed for comparison.
For immunohistochemical evaluation, a tissue microarray technique (at least three cylindrical core biopsies 0.6 mm in diameter taken from different sites of each tumor;
Non-neoplastic pelvic urothelium showed nuclear immunoreactivity with a slightly decreasing gradient from basal to luminar cells; superficial umbrella cells remained unstained (Fig 1A). Normal renal tubule and collecting duct epithelium and stromal cells lacked p63 expression. Tumor tissue sufficient for a reliable evaluation of p63 immunoreactivity was present in 184/188 (97.9%) RCCs and in all 53 TCCs. In the RCC group, all tumors regardless of histological subtype, grade, and stage were negative. In the TCC group, p63 was negative in 2/53 (3.8%) cases. P63 expression of less than 50% of tumor cell nuclei was found in 7/51 (13.7%), 5075% in 9 (17.6%), 7590% in 11 (21.6%), and more than 90% in 24 (47%) cases (Fig 1B). With regard to pT stage and tumor grade, a decrease of p63 expression in pT3 and G3 tumors was observed. Details are listed in Table 1 and Table 2. In moderately differentiated TCCs, staining was sometimes accentuated at the periphery of tumor nests with a decreasing gradient to the central zone, thus mimicking non-neoplastic transitional cell maturation (Fig 1C). In poorly differentiated TCCs a marked heterogeneity was noted (Fig 1D).
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To our knowledge, this is the first study analyzing the expression patterns of p63 in a large number of RCCs and upper tract TCCs. The absence of immunoreactivity in non-neoplastic tubule and collecting duct epithelium, which are known to lack proliferative activity, is in accordance with the supposed function of p63 in the maintenance of a stem-cell population, regulating epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation (
Despite the altered nuclear immunoreactivity in high-grade (G3) cancers, only 2/53 (3.8%) TCCs did not show any nuclear staining for p63 in our series. These results clearly demonstrate that p63 is a reliable marker for the immunohistochemical distinction of upper tract TCC from RCC, which may be difficult in standard H&E sections but is essential for treatment and follow-up. Whether p63 might also serve as a prognostic marker in upper tract TCCs is now under investigation.
Received for publication March 11, 2003; accepted March 12, 2003.
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