Neural cell adhesion molecule expression in human pituitary adenomas.
Neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is a cell surface glycoprotein whose expression may be important in metastatic or local growth of neoplasms. Expression of NCAM in human pituitary adenomas was assessed on snap-frozen and Bouin's and/or formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissue using a sensitive alkaline phosphatase-antialkaline phosphatase method of immunostaining with the monoclonal antibody, NKH-1. The 20 pituitary adenoma patients consisted of 13 males and 7 females, ages 19-78 years, with null cell macroadenomas (3), plurihormonal macroadenomas (4), weak gonadotropic macroadenomas (5), growth hormone-prolactin adenomas (2), and prolactinomas (6). Eight of the adenomas were clinically invasive. The snap-frozen material from 14 pituitary tumors showed immunostaining for NCAM in either a cytoplasmic, peripheral membranous, or mixed pattern; 2 of 3 prolactinomas showed patchy immunostaining. The Bouin's and/or formalin-fixed pituitary adenoma specimens from 6 clinically invasive cases showed less distinct NCAM localization but 4 out of 6 showed diffusely positive NCAM immunostaining, with greatest intensity appreciated on the Bouin's-fixed tissue. There was no correlation between NCAM staining pattern and invasive characteristics of the tumors. These results suggest that NCAM expressivity is not a useful marker for assessing pituitary adenoma tumor invasiveness.
Kleinschmidt-DeMasters
B K
BK
Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262-0216, USA.
Conway
D R
DR
Franklin
W A
WA
Lillehei
K O
KO
Kruse
C A
CA
D000236:Adenoma / Q000737:chemistry*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000032:analysis*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D015175:Prolactinoma / Q000737:chemistry; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules