Is c-kit (CD117) immunolocalization in cell block preparations useful in the differentiation of adenoid cystic carcinoma from pleomorphic adenoma?

✍ Scribed by Chandan, Vishal S. ;Wilbur, David ;Faquin, William C. ;Khurana, Kamal K.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 46 KB
• Volume: 102
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.20301

✦ Synopsis

R ecent studies in the surgical pathology literature have revealed that overexpression of the tyrosine kinase receptor protein c-kit (CD117) occurs in adenoid cystic carcinoma, suggesting that c-kit may be useful as an ancillary marker for this tumor. This marker would be particularly useful in small biopsies and in cell block preparations of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) material, in which differentiation between adenoid cystic carcinoma and pleomorphic adenoma can be challenging and carries important therapeutic implications. We evaluated the role of c-kit antigen expression in cell block material obtained during FNAB in distinguishing between adenoid cystic carcinoma and pleomorphic adenoma.

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cell block sections of pleomorphic adenoma specimens from the parotid (n ϭ 13) and submandibular glands (n ϭ 2), as well as adenoid cystic carcinoma specimens from the palate (n ϭ 3), maxilla (n ϭ 2), buccal mucosa (n ϭ 2), tongue (n ϭ 1), parotid (n ϭ 1), and ethmoid sinus (n ϭ 1), were selected from the archival pathology files of the State University of New York-Upstate Medical University (Syracuse, NY). All patients had subsequently undergone surgical excision, and the corresponding tissue analysis confirmed the FNAB diagnosis in all cases. Immunohistochemical studies were performed on formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded tissue sections measuring 4 m in thickness using a modified avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex detection method. Two antibodies were used to detect c-kit expression: H300, a polyclonal antibody against the amino terminus of human c-kit (1:65 dilution;