title: Morphometric and immunohistochemical study of cholangiolocellular carcinoma: comparison with non-neoplastic cholangiole, interlobular duct and septal duct.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The origin of cholangiolocellular carcinoma (CoCC) is still controversial. To solve this problem, morphometric and immunohistochemical features of CoCC were examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cancerous ducts: 15 CoCC lesions from 13 resected and two autopsied cases. Non-neoplastic ducts: 20 specimens of non-cancerous areas of eight resected CoCC cases and of 12 resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases. From these specimens, cholangioles, interlobular ducts of small size (ILD-S), interlobular ducts of medium size (ILD-M) and septal ducts were randomly selected. MORPHOMETRY: The outer and inner diameters of these ducts were measured. Immunohistochemistry: two hepatocyte markers [Hep Par 1 and α-fetoptotein (AFP)], two cholangiocyte markers (cytokeratin CK7, CK19), a marker for mucin (Muc1), a hepatic stem/progenitor cell marker (c-Kit) and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Morphometry: both mean values of the outer and inner diameters of CoCC were far larger than those of cholangioles, and showed intermediate values between those of ILD-S and ILD-M. Immunohistochemistry: all ducts of CoCCs were negative for the two hepatocyte markers and positive for CK 7. Most CoCC ducts were positive for CK 19. Positive rate of c-Kit of cholangiole was most remote from that of CoCC. The positive rates of EMA in the membranous area of ducts were similarly very high in CoCC, cholangiole and ILD-S.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that CoCCs may originate from ILDs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Teikyo University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Sawako
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maeno
authors.forename: Fukuo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Tadahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.forename: Takehide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asano
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053539:Keratin-19 / Q000378:metabolism; D053552:Keratin-7 / Q000378:metabolism; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D053539:Keratin-19; D053552:Keratin-7; D018396:Mucin-1; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit