Insulin-like growth factor II messenger RNA-binding protein 3 expression in gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors

Our plain-English summary of Insulin-like growth factor II messenger RNA-binding protein 3 expression in gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors, by H. Yamamoto, K. Arakaki, K. Morimatsu, et al (Human Pathology, 2014).

The study

• Authors: H. Yamamoto, K. Arakaki, K. Morimatsu, Y. Zaitsu, A. Fujita, K. Kohashi, M. Hirahashi, J. Motoshita, Y. Oshiro, Y. Oda
• Journal: Human Pathology
• Published: 2014;45(3):481-7
• Cited by: 13 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Insulin-like growth factor II messenger RNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) is a recently identified biomarker demonstrated to be useful in diagnosis and prognostic prediction for several kinds of malignant tumors. However, the clinicopathologic and diagnostic value of IMP3 in mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract is not clear. In this study, we examined the immunohistochemical expression of IMP3 in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) (n = 150), malignant melanoma (n = 17), malignant mesothelioma (n = 6), leiomyosarcoma (n = 6), inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) (n = 12), desmoid fibromatosis (n = 8), leiomyoma (n = 20), and schwannoma (n = 20). Focal (≥10%) or diffuse (≥50%) expression with strong staining for IMP3 was judged as positive. We found that malignant melanomas (16/17 cases, 94.1%), malignant mesotheliomas (5/6 cases, 83.3%), IMTs (7/12 cases, 58.3%), and leiomyosarcomas (2/6 cases, 33.3%) were positive for IMP3. Among IMTs and leiomyosarcomas, IMP3-positive cases were histologically and/or clinically aggressive subtypes. Other kinds of tumors, including GIST, desmoid fibromatosis, leiomyoma and schwannoma, were essentially negative for IMP3. Our results suggest that IMP3 may be an ancillary tool in identifying aggressive abdominal mesenchymal tumors other than GIST.

© 2014.

In plain English

This laboratory study, by researchers at Kyushu University in Japan, examined stored tumor tissue samples to see whether they stained for a protein called IMP3. The samples were tumors of the gastrointestinal tract or abdomen: 150 gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), 17 malignant melanomas, 6 intra-abdominal malignant mesotheliomas, 6 leiomyosarcomas, 12 inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMT), 8 desmoid fibromatoses, 20 leiomyomas and 20 schwannomas. The authors also tested 20 IMTs from other body sites. The article did not examine asbestos or any other exposure. IMP3 staining was positive in 5 of 6 mesotheliomas, and the one negative case was a pure epithelioid type. Staining was also positive in 16 of 17 melanomas, 7 of 12 IMTs of the gastrointestinal tract and abdominal soft tissue, 2 of 6 leiomyosarcomas (both high grade) and 1 of 20 IMTs from other sites. GISTs, desmoid fibromatoses, leiomyomas and schwannomas were essentially negative. The authors concluded that IMP3 might be a helpful marker for identifying aggressive gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors other than GIST. They said larger studies were needed to test some of these findings.

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: Laboratory study of archived tumor tissue samples using immunohistochemical staining (pathology case series)
• Who was studied: Tumor samples from the Department of Anatomic Pathology, Kyushu University, Japan. Gastrointestinal and intra-abdominal tumors: GIST (150), malignant melanoma (17), intra-abdominal malignant mesothelioma (6), leiomyosarcoma (6), IMT (12: 10 gastrointestinal primary, 2 abdominal soft tissue), desmoid fibromatosis (8), leiomyoma (20), schwannoma (20). Also 20 IMTs from non-gastrointestinal sites (lung, thoracic cavity, urinary bladder, liver, pancreas, head and neck). Years of collection not stated.
• Exposure: No asbestos or other exposure was studied. What was measured was tumor staining for the protein IMP3.
• Main results:
  • Malignant mesothelioma: 5 of 6 intra-abdominal cases (83.3%) were diffusely and strongly positive for IMP3.
  • Of the 6 mesotheliomas, 2 were epithelioid, 1 sarcomatoid and 3 mixed epithelioid and sarcomatoid. The only IMP3-negative mesothelioma was a pure epithelioid type.
  • Malignant melanoma: 16 of 17 cases (94.1%) were IMP3 positive.
  • Leiomyosarcoma: 2 of 6 cases were IMP3 positive. Positive in 2 of 4 high-grade and 0 of 2 low-grade tumors.
  • IMT of the gastrointestinal tract and abdominal soft tissue: 7 of 12 (58.3%) were IMP3 positive. Of these 7, 6 had histologically and/or clinically aggressive features.
  • IMT from non-gastrointestinal sites: 1 of 20 cases (5%) was IMP3 positive.
  • GIST, desmoid fibromatosis, leiomyoma and schwannoma were essentially negative for IMP3.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that IMP3 does not play an important role in GIST. They also concluded that, because leiomyosarcomas, IMTs, malignant melanomas and malignant mesotheliomas overexpressed IMP3, it might be a helpful marker for identifying aggressive gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors other than GIST.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • No KIT gene mutation was found in 4 primary gastrointestinal melanomas. The authors said this may reflect the small number of cases examined.
  • A larger study is needed to verify whether IMP3 identifies more aggressive leiomyosarcomas.
  • A larger study is needed to test whether IMP3 predicts the aggressiveness of IMT.
  • The authors could not explain why IMP3 positivity was higher in IMTs of the gastrointestinal tract and abdominal soft tissue than in IMTs from other sites.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesenchymal Tumor, Biomarker, Malignant Mesothelioma.

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