Aberrant Expression of Vimentin Correlates with Dedifferentiation and Poor Prognosis in Patients with Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

• Published in: Anticancer research Vol. 30; no. 6; pp. 2279 - 2285
• Main Authors: KORITA, Pavel V, WAKAI, Toshifumi, AJIOKA, Yoichi, INOUE, Makoto, TAKAMURA, Masaaki, SHIRAI, Yoshio, HATAKEYAMA, Katsuyoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Attiki International Institute of Anticancer Research 01.06.2010
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Bile Duct Neoplasms - mortality; Bile Duct Neoplasms - pathology; Bile Duct Neoplasms - surgery; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Differentiation; Cholangiocarcinoma - mortality; Cholangiocarcinoma - pathology; Cholangiocarcinoma - surgery; Epithelial Cells - pathology; Female; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Humans; Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas; Male; Medical sciences; Mesoderm - pathology; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Tumors; Vimentin - analysis; Vimentin - physiology; Human; Vimentin; Prognosis; Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma; Hepatic disease; Surgical resection; Malignant tumor; Biliary tract disease; Cancerology; Treatment; Malignant cholangioma; Surgery; Dedifferentiation; Digestive diseases; Intrahepatic; Cancer
• ISSN: 0250-7005; 1791-7530

This study aimed to elucidate the prognostic value of vimentin expression in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). A retrospective analysis of 21 patients who underwent resection for ICC was conducted. Vimentin expression was positive when single tumour cells or cell clusters showed immunoreactivity to vimentin, whereas vimentin-negative expression was defined as no detectable expression. Of the 21 patients, 5 were classified as having tumours with vimentin-positive expression and 16 with vimentin-negative expression. Vimentin-positive expression was more frequent in tumour specimens that were poorly differentiated (4/7; 57%) than in those that were well- or moderately differentiated (1/14; 7%, p=0.025) and was always seen in areas with the highest histological grade. Vimentin-positive expression affected survival adversely, according to univariate (p=0.010) and multivariate analyses (relative risk, 4.294; p=0.047). Vimentin-positive expression correlates with dedifferentiation and predicts poor survival in patients undergoing resection for ICC.