The relationship between the expression of GRα, GRβ and hormone sensitivity in KHE children with KMP / 中华整形外科杂志

ABSTRACT

To investigate the relationship between glucocorticoid receptor (GRα, GRβ) expression and hormone sensitivity in kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) patients complicated by Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon (KMP).Methods@#In this study, 25 cases of KHE with KMP (mean age 2.4±1.5 months), including 9 males and 16 females at Henan Provincial People′s Hospital between May 2013 and May 2016 were included. All patients underwent surgical resection after being treated with hormone for one week, and were divided into sensitive group (10 cases) and resistance group (15 cases) according to the efficacy evaluation criteria. Normal tissues collected from 15 patients received surgical excision of lipoma was performed as a control group.Immunohistrochemical SP method was adopted in detecting GRα and GRβ expression in all groups. The expression intensity and positive rate were analyzed. Statistical significance was determined using the Wilcoxon rank sum test for the group samples and the Kruskal-Wallis test for multiple samples. Values of P<0.05 were considered statistically significant.@*Results@#①There was no significant difference among the control group, the resistance group and the sensitive group in expression intensity of GRα (control group 4.20±1.01, resistance group 4.10±0.99, sensitive group 3.53±0.52, P=0.632). The number of GRα positive cells in the sensitive group(46.20±2.57)was higher than that in the resistance group (40.93±5.18, P=0.032). ②The expression intensity of GRβ in the resistance group(5.40±0.51)was significantly higher than that in the sensitive group(2.60±0.52)and the control group(2.87±0.64, P=0.000, 0.002); there was significant difference among the sensitive group(29.70±2.50), the control group(36.07±3.47)and the resistance group (47.27±5.59)in the number of GRβ positive cells (P=0.000). ③The ratio of GRα/Grβ expression intensity was significantly lower in the resistance group than in the sensitive group and the control group; The ratio of GRα/GRβ positive cells was gradually decreased in the sensitive group, control group and resistance group, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.000).@*Conclusions@#In the tumor tissue of KHE children with KMP, the increase of GRβ expression negatively regulats GRα, leading to imbalance of the expression ratio of the two, which may be an important cause for GC resistance.