Author/Editor		Perger, Lena
Title		Diagnostični pomen imunohistokemične diferenciacije hepatoblastomov
Type		monografija
Place		Ljubljana
Publisher		Medicinska fakulteta
Publication year		2000
Volume		str. 34
Language		slo
Abstract		Hepatoblastoma is a malignant tumor of children. It is characterized by very heterogeneus histopathology due to almost all kinds of cell differentiation that can be found in such tumors. Exact reasons for the great potential of differentiation exhibited by hepatoblastoma are not determined yet. Among the possible reasons one could be a poorly differentiated stem cell from which the tumor developes, another one is metaplastic and neoplastic transformation of multiple cell lines. The histogenesis of hepatoblastoma remains to be elucidated and the nature of its stem cell to be discovered. The aim of this investigation was to study the histopathological and immunohistochemical properties of hepatoblastomas in Slovenian population and to use a newly discovered antibody Hepatocyte Paraffin 1 which is highly specific for parenchymal liver cells. From the results, I intended to evaluate the most useful immunohistochemical markers for the diagnosis of hepatoblastoma and to contemplate upon the histogenesis of this neoplasm. I assumed to find a great variety of histological patterns in the tumors included in the study. My expectations were that alpha-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen and hepatocyte paraffin 1 wilt prove to be useful markers for hepatoblastoma and that my findings will support the hypothesis of pluripotent undifferentiated cell being the stem cell of this liver tumor. Epithelial hepatoblastomas comprising fetal and embrional hepatocytes, a mixed tumor with areas of immature connective tissue and loose myxomatous stroma, and a small cell anaplastic variant of hepatoblastoma were all represented in tissue samples chosen for the study. Alpha-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen and hepatocyte paraffin 1 were positive in the majority of well differentiated tumors. However, vimentin proved to be more sensitive in the less differentiated cases. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters).
Descriptors		HEPATOBLASTOMA IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY CHILD TUMOR MARKERS, BIOLOGICAL VIMENTIN