Korean J Pathol.  2013 Dec;47(6):541-548.

Immunohistochemical Classification of Primary and Secondary Glioblastomas

• Lee KS
• Choe G
• Nam KH
• Seo AN
• Yun S
• Kim KJ
• Cho HJ
• Park SH

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Glioblastomas may develop de novo (primary glioblastomas, P-GBLs) or through progression from lower-grade astrocytomas (secondary glioblastomas, S-GBLs). The aim of this study was to compare the immunohistochemical classification of glioblastomas with clinically determined P-GBLs and S-GBLs to identify the best combination of antibodies for immunohistochemical classification.
METHODS
We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), p53, and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH-1) in 150 glioblastoma cases.
RESULTS
According to clinical history, the glioblastomas analyzed in this study consisted of 146 P-GBLs and 4 S-GBLs. Immunohistochemical expression of EGFR, p53, and IDH-1 was observed in 62.6%, 49.3%, and 11.1%, respectively. Immunohistochemical profiles of EGFR(+)/p53(-), IDH-1(-)/EGFR(+)/p53(-), and EGFR(-)/p53(+) were noted in 41.3%, 40.2%, and 28.7%, respectively. Expression of IDH-1 and EGFR(-)/p53(+) was positively correlated with young age. The typical immunohistochemical features of S-GBLs comprised IDH-1(+)/EGFR(-)/p53(+), and were noted in 3.6% of clinically P-GBLs. The combination of IDH-1(-) or EGFR(+) was the best set of immunohistochemical stains for identifying P-GBLs, whereas the combination of IDH-1(+) and EGFR(-) was best for identifying S-GBLs.
CONCLUSIONS
We recommend a combination of IDH-1 and EGFR for immunohistochemical classification of glioblastomas. We expect our results to be useful for determining treatment strategies for glioblastoma patients.

Keyword

Glioblastoma; Immunohistochemistry; IDH1 protein, human; Genes, erbB-1; Genes, p53

MeSH Terms

Antibodies
Astrocytoma
Classification*
Coloring Agents
Genes, erbB-1
Genes, p53
Glioblastoma*
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Isocitrate Dehydrogenase
Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor
Antibodies
Coloring Agents
Isocitrate Dehydrogenase
Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor