Haemangioblastoma. An immunohistochemical study of ten cases

Ten cases of cerebellar haemangioblastoma were studied using the immunoperoxidase technique for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Factor VIII-related antigen (F8RA), Ulex europeus agglutinin 1 (UEA-1), S-100 protein, neurone-specific enolase (NSE), leucocyte common antigen, synaptophysin, chromogranin and eight polypeptide hormones (bombesin, pancreatic polypeptide, somatostatin, thyroglobulin, calcitonin, glucagon, insulin and gastrin). GFAP and S-100 were demonstrated at the periphery of all tumours and in small groups of cells in the centre of four cases. Most of these cells had the morphology of reactive astrocytes but some had the appearance of stromal cells. In general stromal cells gave negative results. F8RA and UEA-1 stained the endothelial cells in each case but there was no stromal cell reactivity. NSE was present in the stromal cell component of all tumours. There was no staining for synaptophysin, for chromogranin, or any of the polypeptide hormones. It therefore appears that some haemangioblastomas contain an admixed non-neoplastic astrocytic element. NSE, F8RA and UEA-1 staining demonstrates that the endothelial and stromal cell parts of the tumour are antigenically distinct. Recent reports of polypeptide hormone expression cannot be confirmed and it is therefore unlikely that stromal cells originate from primitive peptidergic neurones.