Usefulness of beta-catenin expression in the differential diagnosis of osteosarcoma, osteoblastoma, and chondroblastoma


ERDOĞAN K. E., Pacheco M., Gambarotti M., Magagnoli G., Sbaraglia M., Frisoni T., ...More

VIRCHOWS ARCHIV, vol.479, no.3, pp.529-535, 2021 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 479 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s00428-020-03004-2
  • Journal Name: VIRCHOWS ARCHIV
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE
  • Page Numbers: pp.529-535
  • Keywords: Osteoblastoma, Chondroblastoma, Osteosarcoma, Beta-catenin, Immunohistochemistry, Bone
  • Çukurova University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the usefulness of beta-catenin immunohistochemical expression in the differential diagnosis of osteoid-producing primary tumors of bone. Seventy cases of osteoid-producing tumors of bone (24 conventional osteosarcomas, 18 osteoblastomas, 13 osteoblastoma-like osteosarcomas, 10 chondroblastomas, and 5 chondroblastoma-like osteosarcomas) diagnosed at Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli were reviewed and evaluated for the intensity, extension, and subcellular distribution of immunohistochemical expression of beta-catenin. A majority of cases (73%, 51 cases) exhibited cytoplasmic and/or membranous positivity in varied degrees of intensity and proportion of positive cells, in the absence of nuclear staining. Fifteen cases (21%) were completely negative, including two osteoblastomas, five chondroblastomas, three conventional osteosarcomas, four osteoblastoma-like osteosarcomas, and one chondroblastoma-like osteosarcoma. A minority of cases (6%) including three osteoblastoma-like osteosarcomas and one osteoblastoma showed focal nuclear beta-catenin positivity with or without concomitant cytoplasmic staining. In the current series, beta-catenin showed not to be useful in the differential diagnosis of osteoid-producing primary bone tumors.