KL-6 mucin is a useful immunohistochemical marker for cholangiocarcinoma.
This study aimed to clarify the clinical significance of the expression of KL-6 mucin, a type of MUC1, in primary liver cancer. Tissue specimens were collected from 21 patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CC), 78 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and 12 with combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC). Immunohistochemical analysis was done using a monoclonal antibody for KL-6 mucin as well as antibodies for Hep1 or CK7. KL-6 staining was positive in all the CC tissues examined, while it was not positive in any of the HCC tissues. Similar selectivity of KL-6 staining was also observed in the cHCC-CC specimens, and the cholangiocellular tissue could be clearly delineated by KL-6 staining. In contrast, 79.5% of HCC specimens and 25.0% of cHCC-CC specimens were positive for Hep1 in the hepatocellular tissues, while none of the CC or cHCC-CC specimens were positive in the cholangiocellular tissues. Staining for CK7 was positive in 95.2% of CC and 35.9% of HCC specimens, while 58.3 and 25.0% of cHCC-CC specimens displayed positivity for CK7 in the cholangiocellular and hepatocellular tissues, respectively. These results suggest that KL-6 may be a useful tumor marker for distinguishing CC from HCC. In addition, the high selectivity of KL-6 for cholangiocallular tissue may help to provide information for deciding the clinical strategy in cHCC-CC patients.
Tang
Wei
W
Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. tang-sur@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Guo
Qian
Q
Qu
Xianjun
X
Inagaki
Yoshinori
Y
Seyama
Yasuji
Y
Midorikawa
Yutaka
Y
Gai
Ruoyan
R
Kokudo
Norihiro
N
Sugawara
Yasuhiko
Y
Nakata
Munehiro
M
Makuuchi
Masatoshi
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053552:Keratin-7 / Q000032:analysis; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins / Q000032:analysis*
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D053552:Keratin-7; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins