Immunoreactivity for the beta chain of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor in malignant mesothelioma and non-neoplastic mesothelium

Our plain-English summary of Immunoreactivity for the beta chain of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor in malignant mesothelioma and non-neoplastic mesothelium, by M. Ramael, C. Buysse, J. van den Bossche, et al (The Journal of Pathology, 1992).

The study

• Authors: M. Ramael, C. Buysse, J. van den Bossche, K. Segers, E. van Marck
• Journal: The Journal of Pathology
• Published: 1992;167(1):1-4
• Cited by: 32 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

The results of an immunohistochemical study of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGF-R) beta chain in human non-neoplastic mesothelium (35 cases) and in malignant mesothelioma (33 cases) using a murine monoclonal antibody are reported. In approximately half of the malignant mesotheliomas, there was immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm of the neoplastic cells for the beta chain of the PDGF-R. In some cases, there was also membrane immunoreactivity. There were no statistically significant differences between the various mesothelioma subtypes. Immunoreactivity for PDGF-R beta chain was absent in non-neoplastic mesothelium.

In plain English

In this laboratory study, pathologists at the University of Antwerp in Belgium stained stored tissue samples to look for the beta chain of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor. This is a protein through which cells receive a growth signal. They examined pleural tissue from 33 patients with malignant mesothelioma (23 epithelial, 7 mixed and 3 mesenchymal type). They also examined 35 pleural tissue specimens or pleural exudates with non-neoplastic (non-cancerous) mesothelium. The article gives no information about the patients' asbestos exposure. About half of the mesotheliomas stained for the receptor, 15 of 33 by the article's counts, mainly inside the tumour cells. In 13 of the 33, more than 75 per cent of tumour cells stained. Two epithelial mesotheliomas also showed staining on the cell membrane. Differences between the mesothelioma subtypes were not statistically significant. None of the 35 non-cancerous samples stained. The authors noted that their antibody detects only the beta chain, so another form of the receptor could have gone undetected. They concluded that whether these findings reflect the tumour stimulating its own growth, or only differences in which receptor forms are made, remains an open question that requires further research.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Immunohistochemical (tissue staining) laboratory study of biopsy material, with a chi-square test for statistics
• Who was studied: Paraffin-embedded pleural tissue from 33 patients with malignant mesothelioma (23 epithelial, 7 mixed, 3 mesenchymal) and 35 pleural tissue specimens or pleural exudates with non-neoplastic mesothelium; Department of Pathology, University Hospital Antwerp, Belgium; dates of the cases not given
• Main results:
  • About half of the mesotheliomas were immunoreactive for the PDGF receptor beta chain. Positive staining was seen in 10 epithelial, 4 mixed and 1 mesenchymal mesothelioma (15 of 33).
  • In most positive mesotheliomas, more than 75 per cent of tumour cells were stained. In the table, 13 of all mesotheliomas (39%) had more than 75 per cent positive cells, 2 (6%) had between 50 and 75 per cent, and 18 (55%) had none.
  • Staining was mainly in the cytoplasm. In two epithelial mesotheliomas there was also staining of the cell membrane.
  • There was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of stained cells between the mesothelioma subtypes (P greater than 0.25).
  • None of the 35 non-neoplastic mesothelium specimens showed staining.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that whether the findings reflect an autocrine (self-stimulating) growth mechanism, or only different expression of the various receptor isoforms, remains an open question requiring further research.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The antibody detects only the beta chain of the receptor, so the alpha-alpha form of the receptor might go undetected.
  • The authors suggested that in some tumours the amount of receptor present might be too low to be detected by this staining method.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF), Malignant Mesothelioma, Mesothelium, Monoclonal Antibody, Mesothelioma.

Related studies

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• Differential proliferation of rat lung fibroblasts induced by the platelet-derived growth factor-AA, -AB, and -BB isoforms secreted by rat alveolar macrophages — J.C. Bonner, A.R. Osornio-Vargas, et al. (1991)
• Paradoxical effects of platelet-derived growth factor-A overexpression in malignant mesothelioma. Antiproliferative effects in vitro and tumorigenic stimulation in vivo — L.J. Metheny-Barlow, B. Flynn, et al. (2001)
• Expression of growth factor and growth factor receptor RNA in rat pleural mesothelial cells in culture — E. Bermudez, J. Everitt, et al. (1990)

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