| Objective To explore the expression and significance of stem cell markers CD133 and CD44 in Wilm's tumor. Methods Patients were diagnosed and treated between Jan 2001 and Oct 2010 at Anhui provincial hospital. The surgical specimens were obtained before systemic treatment, and paraffin embedding was performed within the framework of diagnostic procedures. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of cancer stem cell markers CD133 and CD44 in surgical specimens of Wilm's tumor, and immunohistochemical score was calculated. The clinical pathological parameters were collected, and whether there was correlation between the immunohistochemical score and clinical pathological parameters was then analyzed.Results Sixty-four children with Wilm's tumor were collected, including 30 males and 34 females. The median age was 36 months, of whom 46 were younger than 36 months, whereas 18 patients were over 36 months. The range of tumor size was from 2 to 19 cm with a mean of 6.5 cm, 32 of tumors were 6.5 cm or less at their greatest diameter, and 32 were larger than 6.5 cm. Fifty-eight patients with Wilm's tumor showed favorable histology, while only 6 cases demonstrated unfavorable histology. Based on the NWTS, 24 patients were at stage one, 26 at stage two, 4 at stage three, 8 at stage four, and 2 at stage five. Thirty-six out of 64 (56%) Wilm's tumors were considered CD133 negative, while 44% of cases (14/32) were CD133 positive. In contrast, 87% (56/64) of WTs were considered CD44 negative, and 13% (8/64) tumors were CD44 positive. The analysis revealed a statistically significant (P<0.05) positive correlation between CD133 expression and NWTS stage of Wilm's tumors. A higher expression of CD133 was also more often seen in female patients with Wilm's tumor compared to male patients (P<0.05). There was no significant correlation between the expression of CD133 and patient age or tumor size or pathological characteristics (P>0.05).Conclusion CD133 can be a putative stem cell marker expressed in Wilm's tumor, and its positive rate increases with more advanced tumor stages. |
