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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

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Analysis of the c-KIT Ligand Promoter Using Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
Published on: June 27, 2017
C-kit protein expression in Wilms' tumour: an immunohistochemical study
G Giordano1, N Campanini, A Rocco
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Pathology Section, Parma University, Parma, Italy. giovanna.giordano@unipr.it
Summary
CD117 expression in Wilms' tumors correlates with advanced stage, patient death, and disease recurrence. However, multivariate analysis did not confirm c-kit as an independent prognostic factor, suggesting it may be a secondary event.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Pathology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Imatinib Mesylate (IM) targets tyrosine kinase receptors like Kit (CD117), used in treating neoplasms with CD117 overexpression.
- CD117 expression is crucial for treatment eligibility, driving its examination in various tumors.
- Limited data exists on c-kit expression in Wilms' Tumour, necessitating further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate CD117 expression in Wilms' Tumour.
- To correlate CD117 expression with clinico-pathological data.
- To determine the prognostic impact of c-kit expression in Wilms' Tumour.
Main Methods:
- Studied 40 Wilms' tumour cases.
- Utilized standard ABC technique with c-kit polyclonal antibody and antigen retrieval for immunostaining on paraffin-embedded samples.
Main Results:
- Focal, patchy c-kit staining was observed in positive cases.
- Univariate analysis showed significantly higher c-kit expression in advanced stage tumors (p=0.0055).
- Overexpression correlated with patient death (p=0.0294) and disease recurrence (p=0.0118).
- Anaplastic Wilms' tumour subtypes showed significantly higher c-kit overexpression than favorable histology (p=0.0182).
Conclusions:
- While univariate analysis suggests a link between c-kit expression and adverse outcomes in Wilms' Tumour, multivariate analysis did not confirm its independent prognostic value.
- The limited sample size may have influenced multivariate results.
- C-kit expression might be a secondary event linked to tumor progression, potentially influenced by chemotherapy and unfavorable histology.

