EXPRESSION OF MUC APOMUCINS IN NORMAL PANCREAS AND PANCREATIC TUMOURS

✍ Scribed by TERADA, TADASHI; OHTA, TETSUO; SASAKI, MOTOKO; NAKANUMA, YASUNI; KIM, YOUNG S.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 811 KB
• Volume: 180
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3417
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9896(199610)180:2<160::aid-path625>3.0.co;2-a

✦ Synopsis

The epithelial expression of apomucins MUCl, MUC2, MUC3, and MUC5/6 was examined in normal pancreas and in pancreatic lesions, using immunohistochemical methods. In normal pancreas (n=5), MUCl apomucin was expressed in ducts and some acini, but there was no expression of MUC2, MUC3, or MUC5/6. In chronic pancreatitis (n=5), MUCl apomucin was expressed, but expression of the other apomucins was not noted. However, mucous hyperplastic foci of pancreatic ducts expressed MUC5/6 apomucin in 2/5 cases (40 per cent). In intraductal papillary-mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas (n=9), MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, and MUC5/6 apomucins were expressed in 8/9 (89 per cent), 0/9 (0 per cent), 4/9 (44 per cent), and 9/9 (LOO per cent) cases, respectively. In pancreatic mucinous cystadenoma (n=8), MUCl, MUC2, MUC3, and MUC5/6 apomucins were expressed in 7/8 (88 per cent), 018 (0 per cent), (25 per cent), and 3/8 (38 per cent) cases, respectively. In invasive ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (n=25), expression of MUCl, MUC2, MUC3, and MUC516 apomucins was found in 25/25 (100 per cent), 1/25 (4 per cent), 20125 (80 per cent), and 24/25 (96 per cent) cases, respectively. Atypical mucous duct hyperplasia near cancer cells consistently expressed MUCl apomucin and occasionally expressed MUC3 and MIJC516. In positive cases, MUCl apomucin expression was noted in the cell membrane facing the ductal or neoplastic lumina, while expression of MUCZ, MUC3, and MUC516 apomucins was found in the cytoplasm. These results suggest that MUC3 and MUC5/6 apomucins newly emerge during the neoplastic transformation of pancreatic mucinous cystadenoma and IPMN and during pancreatic ductal carcinogenesis, while MUCl apomucin remains positive and MUC2 apomucin remains almost negative during neoplastic transformation.