Background: Heat shock proteins (HSP) are cytoprotective, antiapoptotic proteins which may predict clinical prognosis in various types of cancer. Here, we asked whether the differential response to radiochemotherapy and different overall prognosis for astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumours can be accounted for by differences in HSP expression.
Material and methods: We examined aB-crystallin, HSP27, HSP70, HSC70 (HSP73) and HSP90 expression in 44 human gliomas (5 anaplastic and 5 low-grade astrocytomas, 5 anaplastic and 5 low-grade oligodendrogliomas and 24 glioblastomas) by immunohistochemistry.
Results: HSP were expressed in the tumour parenchyma of all high-grade and most low-grade gliomas, including oligodendrogliomas. Endothelial cells were more often positive for HSC70 and HSP90, but more often negative for HSP27, in glioblastomas than in the other tumours. HSP were also observed in macrophages/microglial cells, but not in a tumour-specific pattern.
Conclusion: Different patterns of HSP expression seem not to account for the differential response of these tumours to adjuvant cytotoxic therapy.