Abstract
Purpose::
Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF) and its receptor, c-Met, have been identified in a variety of normal and neoplastic tissue types, implicating these factors in tissue regeneration and tumor progression. We investigated the expression and distribution of HGF and c-Met in retinoblastoma (RB) to evaluate the possible influence of HGF and c-Met on retinoblastoma invasiveness.
Methods::
Thirty archival RB specimens were divided in to 2 groups. Group A (n = 16) comprised of tumor samples with no invasion and Group B (n = 14) comprised of tumors with invasion of the choroid (focal, diffuse), optic nerve (laminar, post-laminar, surgical end), and orbit. Sections were immunostained with monoclonal antibodies to HGF and polyclonal antibody to c-Met and immunoreactivity was assessed.
Results::
In Group A (non-invasive) tumors, HGF was expressed in 75% (12/16) and c-Met was expressed in 81% (13/16) of the tumor specimens. In Group B (invasive) tumors, HGF was expressed in 100% (14/14) and c-Met was expressed in 100% (14/14) of the tumor specimens. The expression of HGF (p = 0.010) and c-Met (p = 0.002) were higher in invasive tumors compared to non-invasive tumors.
Conclusions::
Increased expression of HGF and c-Met were observed in invasive RB. Further studies will help clarify the role of HGF and c-Met in retinoblastoma and identify targets for early screening and anticancer drug development.
Keywords: tumors • retinoblastoma • immunohistochemistry