Neuroendocrine markers in adenocarcinomas: an investigation of 356 cases.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the incidence of neuroendocrine (NE) cells and their hormone products in adenocarcinomas and evaluate their significance in clinical pathology and prognosis.


METHODS
By using tissue sectioning and immunocyto-chemistry, 356 cases of adenocarcinomas were studied to examine the presence of chromorgranin and polypeptide hormones in adenocarcinoma samples from our hospital.


RESULTS
The positive rate of NE cells and hormone products was 41.5 % (54/130) and 59.3 % (32/54), respectively in large intestinal adenocarcinoma cases; 39.6 % (38/96) and 36.8 % (14/38), respectively in gastric cancer cases; 38.1 % (8/21) and 50.0 % (4/8), respectively in prostatic cancer cases; 21.0 % (17/81) and 17.6 % (3/17), respectively in breasr cancer cases; 17.9 % (5/28) and 60.0 % (3/5), respectively in pancreatic cancer cases. Among carcinomas of large intestine, pancreas and breast, the highly differentiated NE cell numbers were higher than the poorly differentiated NE cell numbers; while the gastric carcinoma cases had more poorly differentiated NE cells than highly differentiated NE cells. The higher detection rate of NE cells and their hormone products, the higher 5-year survival rate among the large intestine cancer cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Close correlation was observed between NE cells and their hormone products with the cancer differentiations. For colorectal carcinomas, there is a close correlation of the presence of NE cells and their hormone products with the tumor staging and prognosis.
Yao
Gen-You
GY
Research fellow of Pathology, Department of Pathology, Zhejiang University Medical School, Hangzhou, 310031 China. yaogy@zjuem.zju.edu.cn
Zhou
Ji-Lin
JL
Lai
Mao-De
MD
Chen
Xiao-Qing
XQ
Chen
Pei-Hui
PH
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000032:analysis; D005755:Gastrins / Q000032:analysis; D005934:Glucagon / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000032:analysis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012701:Serotonin / Q000032:analysis*; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000032:analysis*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
D015415:Biomarkers; D005755:Gastrins; D012701:Serotonin; D013004:Somatostatin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D002116:Calcitonin; D005934:Glucagon; D009638:Norepinephrine