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Published on: November 21, 2012
The Expression of Insulin-Like Growth Factor II Messenger RNA-Binding Protein 3 Upregulated in Intradural
Hirofumi Bekki1, Yoshihiro Matsumoto1, Masato Yoshimoto1
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Introduction:
Tumor size is an important factor in determining the appropriate clinical management of intradural-extramedullary schwannoma. A tumor volume reduction may be achieved by conservative targeted therapy instead of invasive surgery if a molecular event related to tumor size is discovered. Insulin-like growth factor II messenger RNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3), an oncofetal tumor-associated antigen that is expected to be a target for immunotherapy, was focused on in this study.
Methods:
The IMP3 status was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 64 samples of intradural-extramedullary schwannoma, and the correlation between IMP3 expression and tumor size was evaluated.
Results:
Immunohistochemically, high IMP3 expression was observed in ～85% of schwannomas. The maximum tumor diameter of the high IMP3 expression group was significantly larger than that of the low IMP3 expression group (34.3 mm vs 18.5 mm, p=0.002). The receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated that a maximum tumor diameter of 24 mm was a predictable factor for IMP3 expression (sensitivity, 0.7; 1-specificity, 0.2; area under the curve, 0.82).
Conclusions:
Upregulated IMP3 expression was associated with large tumor size, suggesting a possible therapeutic approach.
Insights
High expression of Insulin-like growth factor II messenger RNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) is linked to larger intradural-extramedullary schwannoma tumors. This finding suggests IMP3 as a potential therapeutic target for managing tumor size.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Molecular Pathology
Background:
- Intradural-extramedullary schwannomas require careful management based on tumor size.
- Targeted therapies offer a potential alternative to surgery for tumor volume reduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between Insulin-like growth factor II messenger RNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) expression and tumor size in schwannomas.
- To evaluate IMP3 as a potential therapeutic target for intradural-extramedullary schwannoma.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry was used to assess IMP3 expression in 64 schwannoma samples.
- Correlation analysis was performed between IMP3 expression levels and maximum tumor diameter.
Main Results:
- High IMP3 expression was detected in approximately 85% of schwannomas.
- Tumors with high IMP3 expression had a significantly larger maximum diameter (34.3 mm) compared to those with low IMP3 expression (18.5 mm).
- A maximum tumor diameter of 24 mm predicted IMP3 expression with high accuracy (AUC=0.82).
Conclusions:
- Upregulated IMP3 expression is associated with increased tumor size in intradural-extramedullary schwannoma.
- IMP3 represents a promising molecular target for developing novel therapeutic strategies to control schwannoma growth.
