Elevated Serum Levels of Alpha-Fetoprotein in Patients with Infantile Hemangioma Are Not Derived from within the Tumor.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

The embryonic-like stem cell origin of infantile hemangioma (IH) and the observed elevated serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in patients with hepatic IH led us to investigate if this tumor was the source of AFP.

Materials and methods

We measured serial serum levels of AFP in patients with problematic proliferating IH treated with surgical excision or propranolol treatment. We also investigated the expression of AFP in extrahepatic IH samples using immunohistochemical staining, mass spectrometry, NanoString gene expression analysis, and in situ hybridization.

Results

Serum levels of AFP normalized following surgical excision or propranolol treatment. Multiple regression analysis for curve fittings revealed a different curve compared to reported normal values

SUBMITTER: Itinteang T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4746268 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature