CD163 versus CD68 in tumor associated macrophages of classical hodgkin lymphoma

Abstract

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) is a B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder with a relatively good prognosis. A small but significant percentage of patients, however, will respond poorly to therapy. A recent gene expression profiling study has identified a macrophage signature which has been correlated with primary treatment failure, and immunohistochemical tissue microarray for CD68 was shown to reflect the gene signature as a potentially clinically useful marker to predict adverse prognosis.We examined 44 cases of CHL, mostly nodular sclerosis subtype, in which the immunohistochemical stains for the histiocytic markers CD68 and CD163 were performed. The staining intensity was graded for each stain (< 5, 5-25, and > 25 percent of cells positive in the Hodgkin cell (HC) rich nodules) and background staining characteristics were recorded.CD163 staining was lower than CD68 in HC rich nodules, with lower background staining (p 0.03). There was no significant difference between either CD68 or CD163 and disease recurrence in a subset (N = 41) of cases.In conclusion, we demonstrate that CD163 staining is lower than CD68, with less non-specific staining of background inflammatory cells and Hodgkin cells, therefore is a better marker for tumor associated macrophages. However, we did not identify a correlation between staining for CD68 or CD163 and recurrence of disease.Virtual slidesThe virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here:http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1460518258831620

CD68/macrosialin: not just a histochemical marker

“…However, these results were not clearly confirmed. 87,88 Harris et al 89 suggested that CD163 staining is superior vs CD68 in the identification of TAMs in neoplastic nodes owing to lower background staining and less nonspecific staining of background inflammatory cells and Hodgkin cells. In addition, Klein et al 90 showed better predictive value using CD163 as a marker of TAMs for survival of cHL patients.…”

Spindle-shaped CD163+ rosetting macrophages replace CD4+ T-cells in HIV-related classical Hodgkin lymphoma

“…[10][11][12] However, other studies could not confirm this finding. 13,14 In the present study, we aimed to further characterize the morphologic and immunohistochemical characteristics of HIV-associated Hodgkin lymphoma in comparison to classical Hodgkin lymphoma in non-HIV infected individuals with respect to the composition of the microenvironment and the tumor cell content. The objective of this study was also to evaluate if HIV-associated Hodgkin lymphoma presents a particularly high content of macrophages and if this is related to a 'sarcomatoid' appearance of the infiltrate.…”

Early interim 2-(1)fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography is prognostically superior to peripheral blood lymphocyte/monocyte ratio at diagnosis in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma

“…The two most promising biomarkers recently under investigation are the interim 2-(1)fluoro-2-deoxy-Dglucose positron emission tomography evaluation after two cycles (PET-2) of chemotherapy 5 and the amount of macrophage infiltrate in the lymphonode at diagnosis, 6,7 but both suffer from a lack of reproducibility in different series. 8 Recently, in this journal, Porrata and colleagues reported that the evaluation of the ALC/AMC-DX ratio, obtained by dividing the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) over the absolute monocyte count (AMC) from the complete blood count, is an additional independent marker with prognostic value in HL.…”