Immunolocalisation of PIVKA-II in paraffin-embedded specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Although serum PIVKA-II has been widely used as a tumor marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), little information is available concerning tissue PIVKA-II, and detection of tissue PIVKA-II in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of HCC is also considered difficult.


METHODS
Paraffin-embedded HCC tissues obtained at autopsy from 22 patients were subjected to immunohistochemical staining using the antibody MU-3 (Eisai Co., Ltd.) after microwave antigen retrieval.


RESULTS
PIVKA-II was mainly detected in the cytoplasm of HCC cells. The intensity of tissue PIVKA-II staining was not correlated with serum PIVKA-II levels or with the histotogical differentiation of HCC. However PIVKA-II staining tended to be more intense in tissue from patients with portal tumor thrombus, distant metastases, or a longer duration of HCC.


CONCLUSIONS
This method of immunohistochemical staining is easy and simple to use and may be helpful for detecting tissue PIVKA-II in paraffin-embedded HCC specimens.
Tamano
M
M
Department of Gastroenterology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
Sugaya
H
H
Oguma
M
M
Murohisa
T
T
Tomita
Y
Y
Matsumura
A
A
Kojima
K
K
Terano
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000032:analysis*; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000032:analysis*
D015415:Biomarkers; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011498:Protein Precursors; C008208:acarboxyprothrombin; D011516:Prothrombin