Although CD44 has been suggested as a prognostic marker in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the prognostic significance of this marker in three main subtypes of RCC is still unclear. Thus, the present study was conducted to evaluate the expression and prognostic significance of CD44 as a cancer stem cell marker in different histological subtypes of RCC.
CD44 expression was evaluated in 206 well-defined renal tumor samples using immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays. Higher CD44 expression was associated with more aggressive behavior, tumor progression and worse prognosis in clear cell RCC (ccRCC) but not in papillary and chromophobe RCC subtypes.
Cancer stem cell marker CD44 may be a promising target for cancer treatment only in ccRCC.
Biomarkers in medicine. 2017 Dec 15 [Epub ahead of print]
Leili Saeednejad Zanjani, Zahra Madjd, Maryam Abolhasani, Arezoo Rasti, Oystein Fodstad, Yvonne Andersson, Mojgan Asgari
Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Department of Tumor Biology, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway.