title: Female para-urethral adenocarcinoma: histological and immunohistochemical study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Female urethral cancer with a diverticular form is assumed to originate from the para-urethral duct, which is embryologically homologous to the male prostate gland. The purpose of the present paper was to investigate the female para-urethral adenocarcinomas histologically and immunohistochemically.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgical specimens obtained from six female patients with para-urethral adenocarcinomas were examined histologically, and an immunohistochemical study using antibodies against carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), prostate specific antigen (PSA), and chromogranin A was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On histologic examination, the female para-urethral cancers were divided into five cases of mucin-producing-type adenocarcinoma and one case of clear cell-type adenocarcinoma. All five mucin-producing-type adenocarcinomas were positive with anti-CEA, and two of them showed neuroendicrine differentiation. One of them showed a focally positive area with anti-PSA. The clear cell-type adenocarcinoma had no positive reactions to these antibodies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of histologic structure, positive CEA staining, and the presence of focal neuroendocrine differentiation, mucin-producing-type adenocarcinomas may arise from the proximal part of the para-urethral duct.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan. kart@hsp.md.shinshu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Haruaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Amh Manjurul
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nishizawa
mesh_terms: D018262:Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins / Q000276:immunology; D004240:Diverticulum / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D014523:Urethral Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen