Nestin immunoexpression in pilocytic astrocytoma and glioblastoma

Pilocytic astrocytoma and glioblastoma are both primary glial tumours of the central nervous system with entirely different histological malignancy grades. One of their features is vascular proliferation, which in the case of glioblastoma is a hallmark of malignancy but not in the case of pilocytic astrocytoma. While vascular proliferations in both tumours usually differ in microscopic appearance, they may be quite difficult to discriminate in a sparse biopsy material and also in a pilocytic astrocytoma with increased proliferation index. Independent studies of glioblastoma have shed some light on the role of non-endothelial cells in tumour neoangiogenesis. These cells originate from neoplastic, nestin immunoreactive stem cells. Expression of this protein has been noticed in grade II-IV astrocytic tumours and in primary grade I glial tumours (e. g. pilocytic astrocytoma). The aim of this study was to assess nestin expression in tumour cells and in blood vessels of tumours at differing grades of malignancy, using immunohistochemical staining and confocal laser microscopy. In our material, nestin was expressed in the cytoplasm of most glioblastoma cells and isolated cells of pilocytic astocytoma. Cytoplasmic immunoexpression of nestin was also detected in cells lining single blood vessels and vascular proliferations. Results of this study suggest that nestin should not be used as the only marker used to differentiate malignant from benign vascular proliferation in CNS tumours.