title: Immunohistochemical and flow cytometric study of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin.
abstract: Immunohistochemical and flow cytometric analysis using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections was performed on 10 neuroendocrine carcinomas of the skin (NCS). Grimelius staining was positive in seven tumors. All tumors showed coexpression of CAM 5.2 and neuron-specific enolase with paranuclear dot-like or diffuse cytoplasmic reactivity. Neurofilament was positive in five cases, chromogranin in six, calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen in two each, and somatostatin and S-100 protein in one each. Eight primary lesions were diploid and the remaining two were aneuploid; however, two diploid NCS presented as aneuploid metastatic tumors. The follow-up periods ranged from 3 to 66 months (mean 13.6). Six patients died of metastatic diseases between 3 and 33 months (mean 9.2) after the diagnosis. There were no significant correlations among histologic features, DNA ploidy, S-phase fraction, and clinical outcome of the patients with NCS. These results indicate that a panel of antibodies may be required for immunohistochemical confirmation of neuroendocrine differentiation and that a flow cytometric analysis is not a good tool to predict the biologic behavior of NCS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shinozaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000782:Aneuploidy; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000032:analysis; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D002864:Chromogranins / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000032:analysis; D011003:Ploidies; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002864:Chromogranins; D009418:S100 Proteins; D013004:Somatostatin; D007633:Keratins; D002116:Calcitonin; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase