Relation of cystatin C and cathepsin B expression to the pathological grade and invasion of human gliomas

Objective To explore the relation of cystatin C and cathepsin B expression to the pathological grade and invasion of human gliomas. Methods A immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of cystatin C and cathepsin B in 57 glioma samples. Results The expression of cystatin C in high-grade (Grade III∼IV)gliomas was significantly weaker than that in low-grade(Grade I∼II, P =0.0001). On the other hand, the expression of cathepsin B in high-grade gliomas was significantly stronger than that in low-grade ( P =0.0001). Cystatin C expression correlated inversely with cathepsin B expression in gliomas ( P =0.01). Conclusion Cystatin C and cathepsin B expression is related to the pathological grade and invasion of gliomas. Combining detection of cystatin C and cathepsin B expressions might provide significant information for clinical assessment of maglignant phenotypes and invasion of gliomas.