title: NKX6-1 Is a Novel Immunohistochemical Marker for Pancreatic and Duodenal Neuroendocrine Tumors.
abstract: NKX6-1 is a homeobox transcription factor participating in the development and regulation of endocrine function of pancreatic islets. This study evaluated the potential use of NKX6-1 as a diagnostic marker for well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (WDNETs). In total, 178 primary and 26 metastatic WDNETs of different origins were analyzed through immunohistochemistry for NKX6-1, TTF-1, CDX2, ISL1, and polyclonal PAX8. NKX6-1 was expressed in 36 of the 44 (82%) primary pancreatic WDNETs, 12 of the 18 (67%) primary duodenal WDNETs, and rarely in pulmonary, gastric, and appendiceal WDNETs. The specificity of using NKX6-1 as a marker for pancreatic and duodenal WDNETs is 93%. Of the 26 metastatic WDNETs, NKX6-1 was expressed only in the tumors of pancreatic origin (sensitivity: 63%, specificity: 100%). The combinatorial use of NKX6-1, CDX2, TTF-1, and ISL1 distinguished WDNETs of different origins with high specificity. Our results indicated that the inclusion of NKX6-1 in an immunohistochemical panel will be beneficial for identifying the primary sites of WDNETs.
authors: Departments of *Pathology §Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital †Graduate Institute of Pathology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan ‡Department of Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA.
authors: I-Ching
authors: IC
authors: Tseng
authors: Matthew M
authors: MM
authors: Yeh
authors: Ching-Yao
authors: CY
authors: Yang
authors: Yung-Ming
authors: YM
authors: Jeng
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D004379:Duodenal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C105201:NKX6-1 protein, human