Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Different immunoreactivity of endothelial markers in well and poorly differentiated areas of angiosarcomas

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Virchows Archiv Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study evaluated the immunohistochemical staining of four endothelial cell markers in well differentiated and poorly differentiated areas of angiosarcomas. Formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from eight angiosarcomas were studied using the antibodies anti-factor VIII-related antigen (FVIII-RA), Ulex europaeus I agglutinin, anti-CD34 (QBEND/10) and anti-CD31 (JC70). The immunostaining of the angiomatous (well differentiated) and solid (poorly differentiated) areas was separately analysed and specificity was evaluated in 20 non-vascular tumours. The antibody anti-CD31 and Ulex europaeus were the most sensitive markers staining well differentiated vasoformative structures and poorly differentiated solid areas. Anti-FVIII-RA and anti-CD34 did not stain undifferentiated malignant endothelial cells from solid areas. Ulex europaeus and anti-CD34 showed very low specificity; in contrast, none of the non-vascular tumours expressed CD31 or FVIII-RA. JC70 (anti-CD31) appears to be the most useful marker in elucidating the vascular nature of angiosarcomas. Is important to emphasize the lack of specificity of Ulex europaeus and the low sensitivity of anti-CD34 and anti-FVIII-RA for poorly differentiated lesions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Aiba S, Tabata N, Ishii H, Ootani H, Tagami H (1992) Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a unique fibrohistiocytic tumour expressing CD34. Br J Dermatol 127:79–84

    Google Scholar 

  2. Alles JU, Bosslet K (1988) Immunocytochemistry of angiosarcomas. A study of 19 cases with special emphasis on the applicability of endothelial cell specific markers to routinely prepared tissues. Am J Clin Pathol 89:463–471

    Google Scholar 

  3. Andrews RG, Singer JW, Bernstein ID (1986) Monoclonal antibody 12.8 recognizes a 115 kd molecule present on both unipotent and multipotent hematopoietic colony forming cells and their precursors. Blood 67:842–845

    Google Scholar 

  4. Borowitz MJ, Gockerman JP, Moore JO, Civin CI, Page SO, Robertson J, Bigner SH (1989) Clinicopathologic and cytogenetic features of CD34 (My-10)-positive acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. Am J Clin Pathol 91:265–270

    Google Scholar 

  5. Burgdorf WHC, Mukai K, Rosai J (1981) Immunohistochemical identification of factor VIII-related antigen in endothelial cells of cutaneous lesions of alleged vascular nature. Am J Clin Pathol 75:167–171

    Google Scholar 

  6. Civin CI, Strauss LC, Brovall C, Fackler MJ, Schwartz JF, Shaper JH (1984) Antigenic analysis of hematopoiesis. III. A hematopoietic progenitor cell surface antigen defined by monoclonal antibody raised against KG-1a cells. J Immunol 133:157–165

    Google Scholar 

  7. Cohen PR, Rapini RP, Farhood AI (1993) Expression of the human hematopoietic progenitor cell antigen CD34 in vascular and spindle cell tumors. J Cutan Pathol 20:15–20

    Google Scholar 

  8. DeYoung BR, Wick MR, Fitzgibbon JF, Sirgi KE, Swanson PE (1993) CD31. An immunospecific marker for endothelial differentiation in human neoplasms. Appl Immunohistochem 1:97–100

    Google Scholar 

  9. DeYoung BR, Swanson PE, Argenyi ZB, Ritter JH, Fitsgibbon JF, Stahl DJ, Hoover W, Wick MR (1995) CD31 immunoreactivity in mesenchymal neoplasms of the skin and subcutis. J Cutan Pathol 22:215–222

    Google Scholar 

  10. Fina L, Molgaard HV, Robertson D, Bradley NJ, Monaghan P, Delia D, Sutherland BR, Baker MA, Greaves MF (1990) Expression of the CD34 gene in vascular endothelial cells. Blood 75:2417–2426

    Google Scholar 

  11. Fletcher C, Ramani P (1990) QBEND/10: a useful but by no means specific marker of Kaposi's sarcoma. J Pathol 162:273–277

    Google Scholar 

  12. Folkman J, Haudenschild CC, Zetter BR (1979) Long-term culture of capillary endothelial cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 76:5217–5221

    Google Scholar 

  13. Gimbrone MA, Cotran RS, Folkman J (1974) Human vascular endothelial cells in culture. J Cell Biol 60:673–684

    Google Scholar 

  14. Hashimoto K, Fujiwara K, Mehregan A (1993) Current topics of immunohistochemistry as applied to skin tumors. J Dermatol 20:521–532

    Google Scholar 

  15. Heng MCY, Fallon-Friedlander S, Benett R (1992) Expression of Ulex europaeus agglutinin I lectin-binding sites in squamous cell carcinomas and their abscence in basal cell carcinomas. Am J Dermatopathol 14:216–219

    Google Scholar 

  16. Holthoffer H, Virtanen I, Kariniemi A-L, Hormia M, Linder E, Miettinen A (1982) Ulex europaeus I lectin as a marker for vascular endothelium in human tissues. Lab Invest 47:60–66

    Google Scholar 

  17. Jaffe EA, Hoyer LW, Nachman RL (1973) Synthesis of antihemophilic factor antigen by cultured endothelial cells. J Clin Invest 52:2757–2764

    Google Scholar 

  18. Koutts J, Howard MA, Firkin BG (1974) Factor VIII physiology and pathology in man. Semin Hematol 11:115–145

    Google Scholar 

  19. Kraffert C, Planas L, Penneys NS (1991) Kaposi's sarcoma: immunohistologic evidence of a vascular endothelial origin. Arch Dermatol 127:1734–1735

    Google Scholar 

  20. Kuzu I, Bicknell R, Harris AL, Jones M, Gatter KC, Mason DY (1992) Heterogeneity of fascular endothelial cells with relevance to diagnosis of vascular tumours. J Clin Pathol 45:143–148

    Google Scholar 

  21. Lansdorp PM, Sutherland HJ, Eaves CJ (1990) Selective expression of CD45 isoforms in functional subpopulations of CD34+ hematopoietic cells from human bone marrow. J Exp Med 172:363–366

    Google Scholar 

  22. Leader M, Collins M, Patel J, Henry K (1986) Staining of Factor VIII-related antigen and Ulex europaeus agglutinin (UEAI) in 230 tumours. An assessment of their specificity for angiosarcoma and Kaposi's sarcoma. Histopathology 10:1153–1162

    Google Scholar 

  23. Loken MR, Shah VO, Dattilio KL, Civin CI (1987) Flow cytometric analysis of human bone marrow. II. Normal B lymphocyte development. Blood 70:1316–1324

    Google Scholar 

  24. Miettinen M, Holthofer H, Lehto V-P, Miettinen A, Virtanen I (1983) Ulex europaeus I lectin as a marker for tumours derived from endothelial cells. Am J Clin Pathol 79:32–36

    Google Scholar 

  25. Miettinen M, Lindenmayer AE, Chaubal A (1994) Endothelial cell markers CD31, CD34, and BNH9 antibody to H- and Y-antigens evaluation of their specificity and sensitivity in the diagnosis of vascular tumors and comparison with Von Willebrand factor. Mod Pathol 7:82–90

    Google Scholar 

  26. Mukai K, Rosai J, Burgdorf WHC (1980) Localization of factor VIII-related antigen in vascular endothelial cells using an immunoperoxidase method. Am J Surg Pathol 4:273–276

    Google Scholar 

  27. Newman PJ, Berndt MC, Gorski J, White GC, Lyman S, Paddock C, Muller WA (1990) PECAM-1 (CD31) cloning and relation to adhesion molecules of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily. Science 247:1219–1222

    Google Scholar 

  28. Nickoloff BJ (1991) The human progenitor cell antigen (CD34) is localized on endothelial cells, dermal dendritic cells, and perifollicular cells in formalin fixed normal skin, and on proliferating endothelial cells and stromal spindle-shaped cells in Kaposi's sarcoma. Arch Dermatol 127:523–529

    Google Scholar 

  29. Ordoñez NG, Batsakis JG (1984) Comparison of Ulex europaeus I lectin and factor VIII-related antigen in vascular lesions. Arch Pathol Lab Med 108:129–132

    Google Scholar 

  30. Parums DV, Cordell JL, Micklem K, Heryet AR, Gatter KC, Mason DY (1990) JC70: a new monoclonal antibody that detects vascular endothelium associated antigen on routinely processed tissue sections. J Clin Pathol 43:752–757

    Google Scholar 

  31. Poblet E, Jimenez-Acosta F (1992) QBEND/10 (anti CD34): an immunohistochemical marker of hair tumors derived from the external root sheath (abstract). J Cutan Pathol 9:543

    Google Scholar 

  32. Poblet E, Jimenez-Acosta F, Rocamora A (1994) QBEND/10 (anti-CD34 antibody) in external root sheath cells and hair tumors. J Cutan Pathol 21:224–228

    Google Scholar 

  33. Ramani P, Bradley NJ, Fletcher CDM (1990) QBEND/10, a new monoclonal antibody to endothelium: assesment of its diagnostic utility in paraffin sections. Histopathology 17:237–242

    Google Scholar 

  34. Sankey EA, More L, Dhillon AP (1990) QBEND/10: a new immunostain for the routine diagnosis of Kaposis's sarcoma. J Pathol 161:267–271

    Google Scholar 

  35. Schlingemann RO, Rietveld FJR, DeWall RMW, Bradley NJ, Skene AI, Davies AJS, Greaves MF, Denekamp J, Ruiter DJ (1990) Leukocyte antigen CD34 is expressed by a subset of cultured endothelial cells and on endothelial abluminal microprocesses in the tumor stroma. Lab Invest 62:690–696

    Google Scholar 

  36. Sehested M, Hou-Jensen K (1981) Factor VIII-related antigen as an endothelial cell marker in benign and malignant diseases. Virchows Arch [A] 391:217–225

    Google Scholar 

  37. Sirgi KE, Wick MR, Swanson PE (1993) B72.3 and CD34 immunoreactivity in malignant epithelioid soft tissue tumors. Adjuncts in the recognition of endothelial neoplasms. Am J Surg Pathol 17:179–185

    Google Scholar 

  38. Suster S, Wong TY (1994) On the discriminatory value of anti-HPCA-1 (CD34) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant cutaneous vascular proliferations. Am J Dermatopathol 16:355–363

    Google Scholar 

  39. Traweek ST, Kandalaft PL, Mehta P, Battifora H (1991) The human hematopoietic progenitor cell antigen (CD34) in vascular neoplasia. Am J Clin Pathol 96:25–31

    Google Scholar 

  40. Warhol MJ, Sweet JM (1984) The ultrastructural localization of von Willebrand factor in endothelial cells. Am J Pathol 117:310–315

    Google Scholar 

  41. Watt SM, Karhi K, Gatter K, Furley AJW, Katz FE, Healy LE, Altass LJ, Bradley LJ, Sutherland DR, Levinsky R, Greaves MF (1987) Distribution and epitope analysis of the cell membrane glycoprotein (HPCA-1) associated with human hemopoietic progenitor cells. Leukemia 1:417–426

    Google Scholar 

  42. Wilson AJ (1984) Factor VIII-related antigen staining by immunoperoxidase techniques in smaller laboratories. Am J Clin Pathol 81:117–120

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento Anatomía Patológica, Hospital Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain

    E. Poblet

  2. Departamento Anatomía Patológica, Hospital Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain

    F. Gonzalez-Palacios

  3. Servicio de Dermatología, Hospital Insular, Las Palmas, Spain

    F. J. Jimenez

Authors
  1. E. Poblet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. F. Gonzalez-Palacios
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. F. J. Jimenez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Poblet, E., Gonzalez-Palacios, F. & Jimenez, F.J. Different immunoreactivity of endothelial markers in well and poorly differentiated areas of angiosarcomas. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 428, 217–221 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196693

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196693

Key words

Search

Navigation