SHORT REPORT

Expression of glucocorticoid receptor and 11ß hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in a case of pulmonary epithelioid haemangioendothelioma

Y Kumazawa¹, K Maeda¹, M Ito¹, M Yamakawa¹, T Hino², C Nakamura³, F Uchimura⁴ and S Arai⁵

¹ First Department of Pathology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2–2–2 Iida-Nishi, Yamagata 990–9585, Japan
² Division of Internal Medicine, Yamagata Prefectural Nihonkai Hospital, Yamagata 998-8501, Japan
³ Division of Surgery, Yamagata Prefectural Nihonkai Hospital
⁴ Division of Radiology, Yamagata Prefectural Nihonkai Hospital
⁵ Division of Clinical Pathology, Yamagata Prefectural Nihonkai Hospital,

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor M Yamakawa, First Department of Pathology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2–2–2 Iida-Nishi, Yamagata 990–9585, Japan;
myamakaw{at}med.id.yamagata-u.ac.jp

This report describes a case of pulmonary epithelioid haemangioendothelioma in which the tumour cells expressed the glucocorticoid receptor and 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. The patient, a 15 year old girl, who had no other complaints or past illnesses, was found to have an abnormal shadow on a chest roentgenogram obtained at a school medical examination. Multiple nodular shadows in the bilateral lungs were also confirmed by computerised axial tomography scan. A diagnosis of pulmonary epithelioid haemangioendothelioma was made on the basis of lung biopsy specimens. The tumour cells were immunohistochemically positive for factor VIII related antigen, CD31, and CD34, but not surfactant apoprotein A. In addition, almost all of the tumour cells showed simultaneous expression of the glucocorticoid receptor and 11ß hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, suggesting that steroid treatment would be effective.

Abbreviations: HSD, hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; PAS, periodic acid Schiff; PEH, pulmonary epithelioid haemangioendothelioma

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