Faculty Collaboration Database

GLUT1: a newly discovered immunohistochemical marker for juvenile hemangiomas. Hum Pathol 2000 Jan;31(1):11-22

Date

02/09/2000

Pubmed ID

10665907

DOI

10.1016/s0046-8177(00)80192-6

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0033972087 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   699 Citations

Abstract

Juvenile hemangiomas are common, benign vascular tumors of infancy. These lesions enlarge rapidly through cellular hyperplasia during the first year of life and then involute over several years. Distinctive histopathologic features of hemangiomas diminish during this evolution, and differentiation from vascular malformations becomes increasingly difficult. This distinction has important therapeutic implications, as juvenile hemangiomas differ from malformations in natural history and in potential for recurrence. We report here that high endothelial immunoreactivity for the erythrocyte-type glucose transporter protein GLUT1 is a specific feature of juvenile hemangiomas during all phases of these lesions. In a retrospective study, we found intense endothelial GLUT1 immunoreactivity, involving more than 50% of lesional microvessels, in 97% (139 of 143) of juvenile hemangiomas from patients aged 1 month to 11 years. No endothelial GLUT1 immunoreactivity was found in any of 66 vascular malformations (17 arteriovenous, 33 venous, 11 lymphatic, and 5 port-wine) from patients aged 5 days to 75 years, or in any of 20 pyogenic granulomas or 7 granulation tissue specimens. Abundant Ki-67 positivity in these latter lesions established that GLUT1 expression does not simply reflect mitotically active endothelium. Focal GLUT1 immunoreactivity was found in 3 of 12 angiosarcomas, but not in any of 5 hemangioendotheliomas (epithelioid or infantile kaposiform). These findings establish GLUT1 immunoreactivity as a highly selective and diagnostically useful marker for juvenile hemangiomas. Because high levels of endothelial GLUT1 expression in normal tissue are restricted to microvessels with blood-tissue barrier function, these findings also have implications for the molecular and developmental pathogenic mechanisms of juvenile hemangiomas.

Author List

North PE, Waner M, Mizeracki A, Mihm MC Jr

Author

Paula E. North MD, PhD Professor in the Pathology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biomarkers
Blood Vessels
Child
Child, Preschool
Congenital Abnormalities
Glucose Transporter Type 1
Granulation Tissue
Granuloma, Pyogenic
Hemangioendothelioma
Hemangioma
Hemangiosarcoma
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Ki-67 Antigen
Lymphatic System
Middle Aged
Monosaccharide Transport Proteins
Sensitivity and Specificity
Skin