Evaluation of Podoplanin Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using RNAscope and Immunohistochemistry - A Preliminary Report.

Background: Podoplanin (PDPN), a mucin-type transmembrane glycoprotein, is expressed in a variety of human cancer types, and contributes to tumor progression. Our goal was to evaluate PDPN expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using both immunohistochemistry (IHC) and RNAscope in situ hybridization.
Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with HCC who underwent partial hepatectomy with curative intent were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: IHC gave positive results in 11 cases, while RNAscope assay for PDPN detected amplification in 16 cases. A significant association was noted between PDPN protein expression and histological tumor grade (p=0.036). Four cases that had negative PDPN results by RNAscope were also negative by IHC, while the remaining five cases with negative results by IHC were positive by RNAscope. A positive relationship was found between PDPN mRNA protein expression (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Our preliminary results suggest that PDPN contributes to the malignant potential of HCC. RNAscope proved to be a more sensitive and reliable method than IHC in PDPN detection.
(Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)