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Published on: August 25, 2021
Expression of neurotrophin receptors in surgically resected thymic epithelial tumors
Dae Joon Kim1, Woo-Ick Yang, Se Hoon Kim
1Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, CPO Box 8044, Seoul 120-752, South Korea.
Objective:
Neurotrophins are known to exert a variety of pleiotropic responses in different target tissues, but little is known about their effect on thymic epithelial tumors. Therefore, we analyzed the expression of neurotrophin receptors in surgically resected thymic epithelial tumors and evaluated their clinical relevance.
Methods:
The expression of neurotrophin receptors (Trk-A, Trk-B, Trk-C and p75(NTR)) in thymic epithelial tumors was evaluated in 99 consecutive patients based on immunohistochemical staining. The pattern of expression was analyzed according to the WHO classification, and survival outcomes were estimated.
Results:
Thymic tumors were classified as type A (n=6), AB (n=21), B1 (n=15), B2 (n=24), B3 (n=22) or C (n=11). All tumors, except one type C thymoma, demonstrated cytoplasmic Trk-A immunostaining, and no thymic tumors showed Trk-B or Trk-C immunoreactivity. p75(NTR) immunostaining demonstrated characteristic patterns according to the WHO subtypes of thymomas. All type A and type AB thymomas showed p75(NTR) immunoreactivity, except one type A tumor. The expression of p75(NTR) was negative in 6 patients (40%) with type B1 thymomas, 19 patients (79.2%) with type B2 thymomas, 17 patients (77.3%) with type B3 thymomas and 10 patients (90.9%) with type C thymomas. Tumor-related survival at 5 and 10 years was 95.5 and 89.5%, respectively, in p75(NTR)-positive thymomas and 82.8 and 77.2%, respectively, in p75(NTR)-negative thymomas; however, the differences were not statistically significant (P=0.14).
Conclusions:
Among the neurotrophin receptors examined, the pattern of p75(NTR) expression closely correlated with the WHO subtypes of thymomas. Further study of p75(NTR) expression may aid in understanding the biology of thymic epithelial tumors.
Insights
Neurotrophin receptor p75(NTR) expression patterns correlate with thymic epithelial tumor subtypes. This finding may help understand thymic tumor biology and guide future research.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunohistochemistry
Background:
- Neurotrophins have diverse effects on tissues, but their role in thymic epithelial tumors is largely unknown.
- Neurotrophin receptors are crucial mediators of neurotrophin signaling.
- Understanding receptor expression in thymic tumors is key to elucidating their biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression of neurotrophin receptors (Trk-A, Trk-B, Trk-C, and p75(NTR)) in thymic epithelial tumors.
- To evaluate the clinical relevance and correlation with World Health Organization (WHO) subtypes.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical staining for Trk-A, Trk-B, Trk-C, and p75(NTR) in 99 surgically resected thymic epithelial tumors.
- Analysis of expression patterns based on WHO classification.
- Estimation of tumor-related survival outcomes.
Main Results:
- Trk-A was widely expressed, while Trk-B and Trk-C were not detected.
- p75(NTR) expression showed distinct patterns across WHO subtypes: high in A/AB, decreasing in B1/B2/B3/C.
- No statistically significant difference in survival was observed between p75(NTR)-positive and negative thymomas.
Conclusions:
- p75(NTR) expression patterns correlate significantly with thymic epithelial tumor subtypes according to WHO classification.
- Further investigation into p75(NTR) may enhance understanding of thymic epithelial tumor biology.
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