The relationship of the expression of the neuronal intermediate filaments and clinical behavior of gastroenteropancreatic endocrine tumors.

胃胰类癌（高分化内分泌肿瘤）被认为是低级别恶性肿瘤，其转移潜能的参数尚未完全确定。外周蛋白和α-间连蛋白属于神经元中间丝。在本研究中，我分析了外周血素和α-间联素的表达与胃肠胰类癌肿瘤临床行为的关系。外周蛋白在无转移的直肠类癌中呈弥漫性表达，而在有转移的直肠类癌中表达减少或不表达。约半数未发生转移的直肠类癌对α-间连蛋白表现出阳性免疫反应。而在所有阑尾类癌中，这两种表达均呈弥漫性表达。这些结果提示，监测外周蛋白的表达缺失可能有助于预测直肠类癌肿瘤的转移风险，并且神经元中间丝的表达模式依赖于类癌肿瘤的起源部位。

Gastroenteropancreatic carcinoid tumors (well-differentiated endocrine tumors) are thought to be low-grade malignant tumor, and the parameters of the metastatic potential have not been completely established. Peripherin and α-internexin belong to the neuronal intermediate filament. In this research, I analyzed the relationship of the expression of peripherin and α-internexin and the clinical behavior of gastroenteropancreatic carcinoid tumors. Peripherin was diffusely expressed in the rectal carcinoid tumors without metastasis, but the expression of peripherin was decreased or absent in the rectal carcinoid tumors with metastasis. Approximately half cases of the rectal carcinoid tumors without metastasis showed positive immunoreactivity for α-internexin. In contrast, both of them were diffusely expressed in all of the appendiceal carcinoid tumors. These results suggested that the surveillance of loss of peripherin expression may be useful to predict the risk of metastasis in rectal carcinoid tumors, and the expression pattern of neuronal intermediate filaments depended on the site of origin of carcinoid tumors.