Review article

THE ROLE OF ANGIOGENESIS AND EXPRESSION OF CD44 IN GLIOBLASTOMA

JOSIP MIHIĆ ; Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Clinical Department of Neurosurgery, Zagreb, Croatia
KREŠIMIR ROTIM ; Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Clinical Department of Neurosurgery, Zagreb, Croatia
MAJDA VUČIĆ ; Ljudevit Jurak Clinical Department of Pathology, Zagreb, Croatia
GABY NOVAK-BILIĆ ; Clinical Department of Dermatovenereology, Allergology and Immunology Clinical Unit, Zagreb, Croatia
LIBORIJA LUGOVIĆ-MIHIĆ ; Clinical Department of Dermatovenereology, Allergology and Immunology Clinical Unit, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to show the role of angiogenesis and CD44 in glioblastoma multiforme (glioblastoma). Some recent studies have demonstrated that CD44 expression in some tumors has a prognostic value, and there is some evidence that increased CD44 expression is linked to the less favorable prognosis in glioblastoma patients. It is known that CD44 is a widely distributed transmembrane cell-surface adhesion protein involved in many physiological and pathological
processes (matrix adhesion, lymphocyte homing and activation, wound healing, growth promotion, cell survival and migration, tumor growth and metastasis, etc.). There are a number of potential mechanisms by which CD44 might promote malignancy [e.g., CD44 modulates factors that could allow a tumor to initiate a metastatic cascade (adhesiveness, motility, matrix degradation, proliferation, and cell survival)]. Specifi cally, CD44 binds to several extracellular matrix components (hyaluronic acid, collagen, fi bronectin, osteopontin) that could facilitate adhesion and subsequent growth of CD44-expressing tumor cells at secondary sites. On the other hand, it was also found that lower CD44 expression might correlate with a greater likelihood of recurrence and consequently worse overall outcome, which is supported by the observation that patients with recurrent glioblastoma have better survival outcomes if their CD44 expression levels are higher. Thus, although higher levels of CD44 expression are seen in more severe tumors, lower CD44 levels could indicate that the malignant cells are more resistant to chemotherapeutic agents.

Keywords

angiogenesis; CD44; glioblastoma; prognosis

Hrčak ID:

193695

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/193695

Publication date:

13.2.2018.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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