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Human chorionic gonadotropin is expressed virtually in all intracranial germ cell tumors

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Abstract

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) production has been utilized as a diagnostic marker for germinoma with syncytiotrophoblastic giant cells (STGC) and choriocarcinoma. Elevated hCG in germinoma is considered to predict less favorable prognosis, and an intensive treatment strategy may accordingly be applied. However, there is some evidence that any germinoma may produce hCG to varying extent. We investigated mRNA expression of the hCG β subunit (hCGβ) using real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 94 germ cell tumors (GCTs). Most (93.3 %) GCTs showed higher expression levels compared with that of normal brain tissue (1.09 × 100–1.40 × 105 fold). The expression was the highest in GCTs which harbor choriocarcinoma or STGC components. The expression level of hCGβ in germinoma was highly variable (1.09 × 100–5.88 × 104 fold) in linear but not bimodal distribution. hCG concentrations in serum and CSF correlated with gene expression, especially when GCTs with single histological component were analyzed separately. The expression was not significantly associated with recurrence in pure germinoma. These results suggest that the serum/CSF hCG levels may need to be interpreted with caution as most GCTs appear to have the capacity of producing hCG irrespective of their histology. The clinical significance of ubiquitous hCG expression in GCTs needs further investigation.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a research program of the Project for Development of Innovative Research on Cancer Therapeutics (P-Direct) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan. We thank Dr Hideki Katakami for sharing valuable data and inspiring the project, and Dr Sylvia Kocialkowski for critical reading of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that we have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Brain Tumor Translational Research, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan

    Hirokazu Takami, Shintaro Fukushima, Kohei Fukuoka, Yuko Matsushita, Taishi Nakamura, Hideyuki Arita & Koichi Ichimura

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan

    Hirokazu Takami, Akitake Mukasa & Nobuhito Saito

  3. Division of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, 1397-1, Yamane, Hidaka City, Saitama, 350-1298, Japan

    Kohei Fukuoka & Takaaki Yanagisawa

  4. Department of Neuro-Oncology/Neurosurgery, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, 1397-1, Yamane, Hidaka City, Saitama, 350-1298, Japan

    Tomonari Suzuki, Ryo Nishikawa & Masao Matsutani

  5. Department of Neurosurgery and Neuro-oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, 5-1-1, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan

    Yuko Matsushita, Yoshitaka Narita & Soichiro Shibui

  6. Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan

    Taishi Nakamura

  7. Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-15 Yamadaoka, Suita City, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Hideyuki Arita

  8. Department of Neurosurgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi, 980-8574, Japan

    Masayuki Kanamori, Toshihiro Kumabe & Teiji Tominaga

  9. Department of Neurosurgery, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0374, Japan

    Toshihiro Kumabe

  10. Department of Neurosurgery, Kyorin University Faculty of Medicine, 6-20-2, Shinkawa, Mitaka City, Tokyo, 181-8611, Japan

    Keiichi Kobayashi & Motoo Nagane

  11. Department of Neurosurgery, Chiba Cancer Center, 666-2, Nitona-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-0801, Japan

    Toshihiko Iuchi

  12. Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0034, Japan

    Kaoru Tamura & Taketoshi Maehara

  13. Department of Neurosurgery, Hiroshima University Faculty of Medicine, 1-2-3, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan

    Kazuhiko Sugiyama

  14. Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1, Takara-machi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa, 920-8641, Japan

    Mitsutoshi Nakada

  15. Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka National Hospital, National Hospital Organization, 2-1-14, Hoenzaka, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 540-0006, Japan

    Yonehiro Kanemura & Masahiro Nonaka

  16. Division of Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Clinical Research, Osaka National Hospital, National Hospital Organization, 2-1-14, Hoenzaka, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 540-0006, Japan

    Yonehiro Kanemura

  17. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Miyazaki Faculty of Medicine, 5200, Kihara, Kiyotake-cho, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan

    Kiyotaka Yokogami & Hideo Takeshima

  18. Department of Pathology, Hidaka Hospital, 886 Nakaomachi, Takasaki City, Gunma, 370-0001, Japan

    Yoichi Nakazato

Authors
  1. Hirokazu Takami
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  2. Shintaro Fukushima
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  3. Kohei Fukuoka
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Koichi Ichimura.

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On behalf of the Intracranial Germ Cell Tumor Genome Analysis Consortium (the iGCT Consortium).

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Takami, H., Fukushima, S., Fukuoka, K. et al. Human chorionic gonadotropin is expressed virtually in all intracranial germ cell tumors. J Neurooncol 124, 23–32 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-015-1809-y

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