Background: Wilms' tumor is an emberyonal tumor arising from remnants of immature renal tissue. Her2/neu is an onco-protein which mediates cellular proliferation, differentiation and survival.
Methods: In the current study, we analyzed Her2/neu expression in 40 Wilms' tumors. The clinico-demographic data of 40 patients with Wilms' tumor were retrieved. Immunohistochemical staining for HER2/neu was performed. Her2/neuimmunoreactivity was evaluated by Canadian Consensus 2007 scoring system.
Results: Among the 38 specimens with epithelial component, 68.5% were positive for Her2/neu, whereas there was immunoreactivity in 37% of 38 blastemal, and 12% of 31 stromal components. The Her2/neu expression was significantly higher in early stages (81.5%) than in advanced stages (36.4%) in epithelial component, but not in other components.
Conclusion: This study suggested that Her2/neuexpression is associated with epithelial cell differentiation accompanied by lower stages of tumor. No significant relationship was found between Her2/neu positivity and tumor size and patient's age and gender.
Keywords: Her2/neu; Nephroblastoma; Tumor component; Wilms' tumor.