2002 CTOS Annual Meeting Posters — Surgery

PROLIFERATION AND APOPTOSIS ARE INDEPENDENT PROGNOSTIC PARAMETERS IN HUMAN LIPOSARCOMA
[Abstract ID: 53]

Category: Surgery

Authors: Eike Gert Achilles³, Sabine Lasch¹, David Zurakowski³, J Schulz¹, Matthias peiper¹, W D Beecken², Xavier Rogiers¹

Author Institutions: ¹Department of Surgery University Hospital Eppendorf, Germany; ²Clinic for Urology University Hospital Frankfurt, Germany; ³Department of Research Statistics Childrens Hospital Boston, United States

Presenter: Eike Gert Achilles
achilles@uke.uni-hamburg.de

Correspondent: Eike Gert Achilles
achilles@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Hamburg Germany 20246
Ph: xx4940428032450
Fax: xx4940428033458

Objectives: As an adjunct to conventional grading in human liposarcomas, the possible prognostic value of the rate of tumor cell apoptosis and proliferation was investigated.

Methods: 51 patients (female n=21, male n=30) with liposarcoma resected between 1988 and 2000 in our center were included in this study. Tumors were localised in the extremities (n=28), retroperitoneum (n=20) and trunk (n=3). Tumor margins were free (n=25) or showed residual microscopic (n=25) or macroscopic (n=1) disease. Multiple variables for each patient, including age, sex, tumor size, grading and numbers of apoptotic and proliferating cells were determined. Immunocytochemistry was performed for semiquantitative analysis of representative paraffin embedded tissue sections. Monoclonal antibodies targeted to proliferating cell nuclear antigen and apoptotic nuclei (Tunel-assay) were utilised. The results were correlated with the postoperative course of these patients

Results: The median survival time was 10.2 years. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant correlation between survival and grading, apoptosis and proliferation (p < 0.05 each).

Conclusions: These data indicate that in liposarcoma tumor cell apoptosis and proliferation are in addition to conventional grading of strong prognostic value in the assessment of disease- specific survival.