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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: ERC-09-0049v1 16/4/1211    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Häyry, V Articles by Sariola, H PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Häyry, V Articles by Sariola, H

¹ Institute of Biomedicine, Developmental Biology, University of Helsinki, Biomedicum, Haartmaninkatu 8, PL 63, Helsinki 00014 HY, Finland
² Departments of Pathology
³ , Surgery
⁴ Otorhinolaryngology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Haartmaninkatu 3, PL 21, Helsinki 00014 HY, Finland

(Correspondence should be addressed to V Häyry, Institute of Biomedicine, Developmental Biology, University of Helsinki, Biomedicum; Email: valtteri.hayry{at}helsinki.fi)

Phaeochromocytomas are uncommon tumours of adrenal or extra-adrenal chromaffin tissue. About 2–26% of these have been reported to metastasize, but, on histological criteria, it is virtually impossible to predict malignant behaviour of the tumour. Using immunohistochemistry, we analysed the protein expression of SNAIL, a zinc-finger transcription factor, in a series of 50 phaeochromocytoma specimens from 42 patients. We found that SNAIL-expressing cells are frequent in metastatic primary tumours and their metastases, whereas in tumours without metastases, SNAIL expression is commonly absent. We conclude that the expression of SNAIL may be of use in predicting the metastatic potential of phaeochromocytoma.