title: Primitive neuroectodermal tumors: ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies.
abstract: We report here ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies of neuroblastic differentiation in the retrospective (n = 17) and prospective (n = 26) series of primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs). By electron microscopy, neuritelike structures containing parallel-oriented microtubules, adhesive plaque junctions, and pleomorphic dense-core vesicles were found in the majority of tumor specimens while synaptic specializations were very rare. By immunohistochemistry, synaptophysin appeared to be the most reliable marker for neuroblastic differentiation present in the most reliable marker for neuroblastic differentiation present in the majority of tumors, while 200 kDa neurofilament protein was immunovisualized in a lower proportion of tumors. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was expressed in both reactive astrocytes and in a small proportion of otherwise typical neoplastic cells. We conclude that the majority of PNETs revealed diverse differentiation and that electron microscopy is still the most reliable tool for its detection followed by immunohistochemistry for synaptophysin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Anatomy, Medical Academy Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Papierz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alwasiak
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kolasa
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wegrzyn
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zakrzewski
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Polis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Debiec-Rychter
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Liberski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002648:Child; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D016501:Neurites / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017599:Neuroectodermal Tumors / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D015388:Organelles / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000032:analysis; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D016708:Synaptophysin; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase