GALECTIN-1 IS A POWERFUL MARKER TO DISTINGUISH CHONDROBLASTIC OSTEOSARCOMA AND CONVENTIONAL CHONDROSARCOMA

Aim and purpose The clinical management of osteosarcoma differs significantly from that of chondrosarcoma; Therefore it is extremely important to diagnose these two types of bone tumour accurately. In the absence of a specific marker, differential diagnosis by histochemistry is sometimes impossible, especially between chondroblastic osteosarcoma and conventional chondrosarcoma. The aim of the study was to find an useful diagnostic marker, simple to use for distinguishes chondroblastic osteosarcoma from conventional chondrosarcoma. Method We analysed 165 bone sarcomas by immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays for expression of the galectin-1 (GAL1) lectin and by Western Blot experiments. Results We found that GAL1 was abundant in normal human osteoblasts from benign proliferations and in osteosarcomas, including chondroblastic osteosarcomas, but not in chondrosarcomas. There was a highly significant statistical difference in the percentage of stained cells (p Conclusion Altogether, our data indicate that GAL1 is a powerful diagnostic marker that distinguishes chondroblastic osteosarcomas from conventional chondrosarcomas.