The distribution of laminin in human brain tumors: an immunohistochemical study

The immunohistochemical distribution of laminin in 70 cases of primary and secondary brain tumors has been studied. The sections were fixed in Carnoy, embedded in paraffin, and treated with collagenase before applying the specific immune serum. In normal neural tissue and in gliomas, the distribution of laminin overlaps with that of basement membrane, as is known from observations on ultrastructure in the literature. The overlapping was observed also in neurinomas, papillomas of the choroid plexus, ependymomas, and meningiomas. Problems arise in the interpretation of the results in the other oncotypes. In hemangiopericytomas and hemangioblastomas, laminin demonstrates a basement membrane around the vessels only; it is absent around stromal cells. In desmoplastic medulloblastomas, laminin forms a network among the tumor cells. In primary lymphomas, concentric rings of laminin are evidenced around some vessels. In discussing the results, the ultrastructural distribution of basement membranes is taken into account.