title: Distinction between endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinoma with immunoperoxidase staining of carcinoembryonic antigen in routine histological tissue specimens.
abstract: The differential diagnosis of endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas can be improved by the demonstration of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in tissue by means of immunoperoxidase staining. Tissue from 131 (80%) of 163 patients with endocervical adenocarcinoma but only 11 (8%) of 137 patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma was CEA-positive. The commonest exceptions were endocervical mesonephroid adenocarcinomas (which were CEA-negative) and endometrial adenosquamous carcinomas (which were CEA-positive). After exclusion of these on simple morphological criteria, 86 of 107 endocervical adenocarcinomas (80%) were CEA-positive, and all 122 endometrial adenocarcinomas were CEA-negative. The remarkable difference in the expression of CEA between endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas suggests a novel application of immunohistochemistry in routine clinical practice.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006652:Histological Techniques; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008649:Mesonephroma / Q000175:diagnosis; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen