| Abstract |
HBME-1 monoclonal antibody has recently become available as a
suggested immunohistochemical tool for the positive identification of
malignant mesothelioma. In this study, the HBME-1 antibody was
immunohistochemically evaluated on selected normal tissues and in 540
epithelial and nonepithelial tumors of different organs. Most
mesotheliomas (25 of 29) showed a strong reactivity, with either a
luminal or a cytoplasmic pattern. However, less differentiated
mesotheliomas with sarcomatous features as well as sarcomatous areas
of otherwise more differentiated mesotheliomas were negative. With
regard to carcinomas, about half of the adenocarcinomas of the lung
showed reactivity that was usually less conspicuous than the
reactivity observed in mesothelioma. Consistently positive
adenocarcinomas included endometrial and ovarian serous carcinomas.
Thyroid lesions reacted differently: papillary and follicular
carcinomas were strongly positive, whereas follicular adenomas and
normal tissues were usually negative, suggesting that HBME-1 may be
helpful in the evaluation of thyroid lesions. While gastric and
pancreatic adenocarcinomas showed positivity in a minority of cases,
tumors from the breast only rarely showed significant reactivity.
Adenocarcinomas of colon, kidney, and prostate were almost invariably
negative. Among soft-tissue and bone tumors, chordoma and
cartilaginous tumors were strongly positive, and synovial sarcoma
showed reactivity in the epithelial component. Other sarcomas and
melanomas were negative. On the basis of our findings, HBME-1
monoclonal antibody is helpful in the differential diagnosis of
mesothelioma, but because adenocarcinomas of many sites, including
lung, are sometimes strongly positive, this antibody has to be used
in a panel with other antibodies. We believe that the HBME-1 antibody
could replace one of the antibodies that is typically negative in
mesothelioma and positive in carcinoma. Interestingly, HBME-1 appears
to be useful in subtyping lesions of certain organs, primarily
thyroid tumors, soft-tissue and bone tumors of cartilaginous
differentiation, and those with epithelial traits.
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