Immunohistochemical Characterization of Feline Giant Cell Tumor of Bone (GCTb): What We Know and What We Can Learn from the Human Counterpart
Abstract
Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTb), formerly also known as osteoclastoma, is a pathological entity that in veterinary medicine is still undefined and, probably, underdiagnosed. In humans, GCTb is recognized as a primary benign bone tumor, locally aggressive, with high local recurrence rates, with controversial histogenesis that can rarely progress or present as a malignant form. In pets, this tumor is still considered rare, though the possibility of underdiagnosis is significant. Hence, the aim of the present study is to provide a histological and immunohistochemical characterization of a small case series of presumptive feline GCTb, comparing our results to the data reported for the human counterpart. Searching our archive, we found, from 2010 to 2023, only three diagnosed cases of GCTb from domestic cats (felis catus). After diagnosis revision, the samples were submitted to immunohistochemistry for Iba1, TRAP, SATB2, RUNX2, RANK, karyopherin α2 (KPNA-2), and osteocalcin. Ki-67 index was also evaluated. Results showed that the multinucleated giant cells were positive for Iba1, TRAP, and RANK, accounting for their osteoclastic origin. On the other side, mononuclear cells were mostly positive for osteoblast markers such as RUNX2, SATB2, and KPNA-2, whereas tumor-associated macrophages showed positivity for Iba1. Hence, results on the cell types characterizing the feline GCTb were comparable to those described in the human form of the tumor. Currently, diagnostic criteria for…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a case series, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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