Abstract

Although the diagnosis and treatment of sporadic vestibular schwannoma has improved in recent years, no factors capable of predicting its growth have been identified as yet. Endoglin (CD105) is a proliferation-associated protein expressed in angiogenic endothelial cells, and a potential prognostic indicator for several solid tumors. The aim of the present study was primarily to investigate the expression and role of CD105 in a series of sporadic vestibular nerve schwannomas.In 71 consecutive cases of vestibular schwannoma, vessel cross-sectional area and density were calculated from immunohistochemically assessed CD105 expression using image analysis to correlate them with: (i) tumor dimensions; and (ii) tumor growth rate measured on high-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI (ceMRI).Based on assessments of CD105 expression, a significant positive correlation was identified between vessel cross-sectional area and tumor size at the time of surgery (p = 0.0024), and between vessel density and tumor size (p = 0.013). Vessel cross-sectional area (p = 0.0006) and vessel density (p = 0.003) were significantly greater in tumors measuring ≥10 mm in size than in those <10 mm. Conversely, when tumor growth rate could be calculated from two or more ceMRI (38 cases), there was no significant correlation between tumor growth rate and cross-sectional vessel area or vessel density as assessed with CD105.Further investigations are needed to ascertain the feasibility of: (i) using circulating endoglin assay to monitor tumor growth; and (ii) targeting neoangiogenesis with anti-endoglin antibodies in sporadic vestibular schwannoma.

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