title: Ovarian carcinomas with neuroendocrine differentiation: Review of five cases referring to immunohistochemical characterization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review five ovarian carcinomas with varying degrees of neuroendocrine differentiation (ND) using an immunohistochemical study focused on the relationship with morphological features.
  
  
  METHODS
  ND was immunohistochemically analyzed using 21 antibodies by an indirect immunoperoxidase method, and ploidy pattern was analyzed using paraffin sections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The tumors were divided according to tumor cell size into 'small-sized' for case 1, 'intermediate-sized' for cases 2 and 3, and 'large-sized' for cases 4 and 5. Expressions of neuroendocrine markers and argyrophil reaction tended to be strengthened as tumor cell size increased. Cases 1, 2 and 3 showed diploid pattern and cases 4 and 5 showed aneuploid pattern.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ND of ovarian carcinomas is closely related to morphological features represented by the cell size. Therefore, ovarian carcinomas with ND should be defined because the disease entity is not successfully integrated irrespective of the highly malignant potential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan. m-yasuda@is.icc.u-tokai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kajiwara
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki R
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Osamura
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirasawa
authors.forename: Toshinari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muramatsu
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tadokoro
authors.forename: Youichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inayama
authors.forename: Etsuko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miyagi
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakatani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D011003:Ploidies
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm