Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 8;33(1):6.
doi: 10.1186/s43046-021-00060-w.

Medulloblastoma: clinicopathological parameters, risk stratification, and survival analysis of immunohistochemically validated molecular subgroups

Asmaa Mustafa Eid  1 , Nehal Abd El-Ghaffar Heabah  2
Affiliations

Medulloblastoma: clinicopathological parameters, risk stratification, and survival analysis of immunohistochemically validated molecular subgroups

Asmaa Mustafa Eid et al. J Egypt Natl Canc Inst. .

Abstract

Background: Medulloblastoma (MB) is a heterogeneous disease, displaying distinct genetic profiles with specific molecular subgroups. This study aimed to validate MB molecular subgrouping using surrogate immunohistochemistry and associate molecular subgroups, histopathological types, and available clinicopathological parameters with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of MB patients. This study included 40 MBs; immunohistochemical staining, using β-catenin and GRB2-Associated Binding Protein 1 (GAB1) antibodies, was used to classify MB cases into wingless signaling activated (WNT), sonic hedgehog (SHH), and non-WNT/SHH molecular subgroups. Nuclear morphometric analysis (for assessment of degree of anaplasia) and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were done.

Results: MB cases were classified into WNT (10%), SHH (30%), and non-WNT/SHH (60%) subgroups. Histopathological types differed significantly according to tumor location (p< 0.001), degree of anaplasia (p = 0.014), molecular subgroups (p < 0.001), and risk stratification (p = 0.008). Molecular subgroups differed significantly in age distribution (p = 0.031), tumor location (p< 0.001), histopathological variants (p < 0.001), and risk stratification (p < 0.001). OS was 77.5% and 50% after 1 and 2 years, while PFS was 65% and 27.5% after 1 and 2 years, respectively. OS and PFS were associated significantly with histopathological variants (p < 0.001 and 0.001), molecular subgroups (p = 0.012 and 0.005), and risk stratification (p < 0.001 and < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusions: Medulloblastoma classification based on molecular subgroups, together with clinicopathological indicators, mainly histopathological types; accurately risk stratifies MB patients and predicts their survival.

Keywords: GAB1; Histological types; Medulloblastoma; Molecular classification; Overall survival; Progression-free survival; Risk stratification; β-catenin.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ellison DW, Dalton J, Kocak M, Nicholson SL, Fraga C, Neale G, et al. Medulloblastoma: clinicopathological correlates of SHH, WNT, and non-SHH/WNT molecular subgroups. Acta Neuropathol. 2011;121(3):381–96. - DOI
    1. Taylor MD, Northcott PA, Korshunov A, Remke M, Cho Y-J, Clifford SC, et al. Molecular subgroups of medulloblastoma: the current consensus. Acta Neuropathol. 2012;123(4):465–72. - DOI
    1. Doussouki ME, Gajjar A, Chamdine O. Molecular genetics of medulloblastoma in children: diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic implications. Future Neurol. 2019;14(1):FNL8. - DOI
    1. Schwalbe EC, Lindsey JC, Nakjang S, Crosier S, Smith AJ, Hicks D, et al. Novel molecular subgroups for clinical classification and outcome prediction in childhood medulloblastoma: a cohort study. The Lancet Oncol. 2017;18(7):958–71. - DOI
    1. Pietsch T, Haberler C. Update on the integrated histopathological and genetic classification of medulloblastoma–a practical diagnostic guideline. Clin Neuropathol. 2016;35(11):344–52. - DOI

Substances

LinkOut - more resources