title: Distinction between endometrial and endocervical adenocarcinoma: an immunohistochemical study.
abstract: We investigated the possibility of distinguishing between primary endometrial and endocervical adenocarcinomas by using a panel of immunohistochemical stains, which included vimentin (VIM), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), and cytokeratins 7 and 20 (CK7 and CK20). Twenty-nine endocervical adenocarcinomas (CCAs) and 30 endometrial adenocarcinomas (EMCAs) including cases with overlapping histologic features (CCAs with endometrioid differentiation [15/29] and EMCAs with mucinous differentiation [16/30]) were evaluated. Most EMCAs (29/30, 97%) were VIM positive, whereas only 2/29 (7%) CCAs were VIM positive. The great majority of EMCAs (28/30) and all 29 CCAs were CK7 positive, whereas all 30 EMCAs and 27/29 CCAs were negative for CK20. CEA positivity was more common in CCAs (18/29, 62%) than in EMCAs (8/30, 27%). EMA positivity was present in all 30 EMCAs and in 26 of 29 (90%) CCAs. We conclude that VIM and CEA are useful immunohistochemical markers in distinguishing EMCAs and CCAs, but CK7, CK20, and EMA are not useful in this distinction.
authors.affiliation: Women's and Perinatal Pathology Division, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Diego H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Castrillon
authors.forename: Kenneth R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Marisa R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Nucci
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D053554:Keratin-20; D053552:Keratin-7; D007633:Keratins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014746:Vimentin / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; C507499:KRT20 protein, human; C507497:KRT7 protein, human; D053554:Keratin-20; D053552:Keratin-7; D018396:Mucin-1; D014746:Vimentin; D007633:Keratins