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Nuclear β-Catenin Expression is Frequent in Sinonasal Hemangiopericytoma and Its Mimics

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Abstract

Sinonasal hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a tumor showing pericytic myoid differentiation and which arises in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. CTNNB1 mutations appear to be a consistent aberration in sinonasal HPC, and nuclear expression of β-catenin has been reported. Our aim was to evaluate the frequency of β-catenin expression in sinonasal HPC and its histologic mimics in the upper aerodigestive tract. Cases were retrieved from the surgical pathology and consultation files. Immunohistochemical staining for β-catenin was performed on 50 soft tissue tumors arising in the sinonasal tract or oral cavity, and nuclear staining was recorded semiquantitatively by extent and intensity. Nuclear reactivity for β-catenin was present in 19/20 cases of sinonasal HPC; 17 showed moderate-to-strong multifocal or diffuse staining, and 2 had moderate focal nuclear reactivity. All solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) (10/10) showed focal-to-multifocal nuclear staining, varying from weak to strong in intensity. Most cases of synovial sarcoma (9/10) showed nuclear β-catenin expression in the spindle cell component, ranging from focal-weak to strong-multifocal. No cases of myopericytoma (0/10) showed any nuclear β-catenin expression. β-catenin expression is prevalent in sinonasal HPC, but is also frequent in SFT and synovial sarcoma. Our findings indicate that β-catenin is not a useful diagnostic tool in the evaluation of spindle cell tumors with a prominent hemangiopericytoma-like vasculature in the sinonasal tract and oral cavity, and that definitive diagnosis relies on the use of a broader immunohistochemical panel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Vickie Y. Jo & Christopher D. M. Fletcher

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  1. Vickie Y. Jo
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  2. Christopher D. M. Fletcher
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Correspondence to Vickie Y. Jo.

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Jo, V.Y., Fletcher, C.D.M. Nuclear β-Catenin Expression is Frequent in Sinonasal Hemangiopericytoma and Its Mimics. Head and Neck Pathol 11, 119–123 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-016-0737-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-016-0737-2

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