IMMUNOREACTIVITY FOR HEPATOCYTE GROWTH FACTOR/SCATTER FACTOR AND ITS RECEPTOR, met, IN HUMAN LUNG CARCINOMAS AND MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMAS

✍ Scribed by HARVEY, P.; WARN, A.; NEWMAN, P.; PERRY, L. J.; BALL, R. Y.; WARN, R. M.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 756 KB
• Volume: 180
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3417
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9896(199612)180:4<389::aid-path685>3.0.co;2-k

✦ Synopsis

Paraffin sections from 29 lung carcinomas (28 primary and 1 metastatic) and 9 pleural malignant mesotheliomas were immunostained with antisera to human hepatocyte growth factorlscatter factor (HGFISF) and its receptor, met. For HGFISF, immunoreactivity was demonstrated in all 9 mesotheliomas, 9 of 12 adenocarcinomas, and 7 of 10 squamous cell carcinomas. None of seven cases of small cell anaplastic carcinoma was positive. The adenocarcinomas frequently showed enhanced luminal staining, suggesting possible secretion of HGFISF, and this pattern of staining was also seen occasionally in bronchial epithelium adjacent to the tumour. Stromal fibroblasts also showed immunoreactivity for HGFISF in 6/8 cases of mesothelioma but in only 3/12 adenocarcinomas, 1/10 squamous cell carcinomas, and 114 small cell anaplastic carcinomas. All tumours stained for met, usually strongly. The staining was mainly cytoplasmic in nature, but some plasma membrane staining was usually evident. Adenocarcinomas showed strong luminal membrane staining, as did adjacent, histologically normal bronchial epithelium. This study demonstrates the presence of HGFISF and met in most of the tumour types described, particularly rnesotheliomas, and suggests that the HGFfSFlmet signalling system may play a role in the development of these tumours, either by autocrine or by paracrine mechanisms.