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Leu‐7 in small cell neoplasms. An immunohistochemical study with ultrastructural correlations
Author(s) -
Michels Sheryl,
Swanson Paul E.,
Robb James A.,
Wick Mark R.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19871215)60:12<2958::aid-cncr2820601218>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - pathology , primitive neuroectodermal tumor , sarcoma , immunohistochemistry , rhabdomyosarcoma , neuroectodermal tumor , small cell carcinoma , neuroblastoma , medicine , neuroendocrine differentiation , carcinoma , biology , cancer , cell culture , prostate cancer , genetics
Abstract In an effort to delineate the distribution of the Leu‐7 antigen in small cell neoplasms, 283 paraffin‐embedded examples of such tumors were studied immunohistochemically. These included 125 malignant lymphomas, 94 neuroendocrine carcinomas, 13 adenocarcinomas, 14 squamous carcinomas, four malignant melanomas, six neuroblastomas, four nephroblastomas (Wilms' tumors), six primitive neuroectodermal neoplasms, three “Askin” tumors, ten Ewing's sarcomas, and four embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas. Histologic diagnoses were verified by the use of electron microscopic study or independent immunostains. Overall, 44% of small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas expressed Leu‐7, whereas nonendocrine carcinomas were uniformly nonreactive for this determinant. All neuroblastomas yielded immunopositivity, as did three primitive neuroectodermal tumors, three rhabdomyosarcomas, two “Askin” tumors, one nephroblastoma, one Ewing's sarcoma, and one malignant melanoma. None of the small cell lymphomas were Leu‐7 positive. These results suggest that Leu‐7 is a specific neuroendocrine marker in cases of small cell carcinoma, but its sensitivity is lower than that of other “endocrine” determinants. Reactivity patterns for Leu‐7 in other small cell tumors demonstrate no specificity for any given line of cellular differentiation. However, the shared expression of this antigen by neuroblastomas, neuroectodermal tumors, Ewing's sarcomas, and Wilm's tumors contributes further to the hypothesis that these neoplasms may be related histogenetically.