Evaluation of galectin-3 expression by sarcomas, pseudosarcomatous and benign lesions of the soft tissues. Preliminary results of an immunohistochemical study.

Galectin-3 is an endogenous galactose-binding protein that is expressed in several normal and neoplastic tissues and is thought to play a role in a variety of biological processes. In this study we have examined the immunohistochemical expression pattern of galectin-3 in the most representative categories of soft tissue tumors consisting of 162 patients' specimens. Lesions were classified according to histogenetic criteria into 13 major categories. Overall, there were 18 fibrous tumors (13 benign, 4 intermediate and 1 malignant), 21 fibrohistiocytic tumors (5 benign, 11 intermediate and 5 malignant), 22 lipomatous tumors (14 benign and 8 malignant), 20 smooth muscle tumors (12 benign, 5 intermediate and 3 malignant), 2 skeletal muscle tumors (2 malignant), 19 vascular tumors (9 benign and 10 malignant), 6 perivascular tumors (5 benign and 1 malignant), 7 synovial tumors (4 benign and 3 malignant), 3 benign mesothelial tumors, 27 neural tumors (25 benign and 2 malignant), 7 cartilaginous and osseous tumors (4 benign and 3 malignant), 8 miscellaneous tumors and 2 high grade unclassified sarcomas. Galectin-3 was constantly expressed by almost all the major categories of benign, pseudosarcomatous and malignant soft tissue tumors. At this time no data are available in the literature about the expression of galectin-3 distribution in a wide range of soft tissue tumors. In the present work we discuss the significance and the possible usefulness of such findings.