Expression of the caveolins in dermal vascular tumors

Authors: Morgan M.B.^{1, 2, 3}; Stevens G.L.¹; Tannenbaum M.³; Salup R.^{2, 3}

Source: Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, Volume 28, Number 1, January 2001 , pp. 24-28(5)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

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Abstract:

Introduction:

Histopathologic criteria are usually sufficient for the accurate distinction of benign from malignant dermal vascular tumors. A minority of cases, however, pose a vexing diagnostic dilemma. Recent studies suggest that caveolin, a scaffolding cell membrane protein, may prove helpful in predicting the biologic behavior of endothelial-derived neoplasms.

Methods:

We analyzed a series of 30 dermal vascular tumors including 12 lobular capillary hemangiomas (LCH), 4 cases of targetoid hemosiderotic hemangiomas (TH), 4 cases of tufted angioma (TA), 12 cases of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), 4 epithelioid (EH) and 1 spindle cell hemangioendothelioma (SH), and 4 cases of angiosarcoma (AS). The distribution of immunoreactivity was analyzed by quantifying cell membrane staining in each case.

Results:

There was a statistically significant difference in the expression of caveolin between LCH (mean labeling index=91.6), TH (mean labeling index=89.7), and TA (mean labeling index=87.2) and the cases of KS (mean labeling index=21.6, EH mean labeling index=23.1), and the AS ( mean labeling index=6.3).

Conclusions:

These results indicate that antibodies to caveolin may be useful in separating benign and malignant dermal vascular tumors and possibly implicates this peptide in their pathogenesis.

Language: English

Document Type: Original article

Affiliations: 1: Departments of Pathology and 2: Surgery, James Haley Veterans Administration Hospital, Tampa, Florida, USA, 3: University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA *

Publication date: 2001-01-01