Kase Satoru, Yoshida Kazuhiko, Osaki Mitsuhiko, Adachi Hironobu, Ito Hisao, Ohno Shigeaki
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, N15 W7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638 Japan.
Anticancer Res. 2006 Nov-Dec;26(6B):4535-7.
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the eyelid is a rare malignant solid tumor of the elderly, which demonstrates a large, firm, reddish nodule mimicking an angiomatous lesion. The expression of erythropoietin (Epo) and Epo receptor (EpoR), as well as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptor (VEGFR) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were examined in human MCC tissues.
Three patients diagnosed with MCC of the eyelid underwent surgical excision. Isolated tissues were fixed by 4% paraformaldehyde and then were examined using immunohistochemistry.
The carcinoma cells consisted of irregular tumor nests with linear stroma and showed hypercellularity indicated by small round nuclei with several mitoses. While immunoreactivity of Epo was undetectable, an increased expression of EpoR was noted in the carcinoma cells. Cytoplasmic immunoreactivity for EpoR was detected in a variety of carcinoma cells, including mitotic cells. VEGF, VEGFR, and bFGF, other angiogenic factors were not expressed in the MCC tissues.
EpoR was highly expressed in MCC of the eyelid, suggesting that the Epo-EpoR pathway plays an important role in the formation of MCC.
眼睑默克尔细胞癌（MCC）是一种罕见的老年恶性实体肿瘤，表现为一个大的、坚实的、红色结节，类似血管瘤样病变。检测了人MCC组织中促红细胞生成素（Epo）及其受体（EpoR），以及血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）、VEGF受体（VEGFR）和碱性成纤维细胞生长因子（bFGF）的表达。
3例诊断为眼睑MCC的患者接受了手术切除。分离的组织用4%多聚甲醛固定，然后用免疫组织化学方法进行检测。
癌细胞由具有线性基质的不规则肿瘤巢组成，显示细胞增多，表现为小圆形核及多个有丝分裂象。虽然未检测到Epo的免疫反应性，但在癌细胞中发现EpoR表达增加。在包括有丝分裂细胞在内的多种癌细胞中检测到EpoR的细胞质免疫反应性。其他血管生成因子VEGF、VEGFR和bFGF在MCC组织中未表达。
EpoR在眼睑MCC中高表达，提示Epo-EpoR途径在MCC的形成中起重要作用。
