MUC1 and MUC2 expression in pancreatic ductal carcinoma obtained by fine-needle aspiration

✍ Scribed by Chhieng, David C. ;Benson, Elizabeth ;Eltoum, Isam ;Eloubeidi, Mohamad A. ;Jhala, Nirag ;Jhala, Darshana ;Siegal, Gene P. ;Grizzle, William E. ;Manne, Upender

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 232 KB
• Volume: 99
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.11857

✦ Synopsis

BACKGROUND.

Mucins are high molecular weight glycoproteins that are produced by various epithelial cells including those found in the pancreas. MUC1 and MUC2 are two well characterized mucin antigens. The objective of the current study was to examine the pattern of phenotypic expression of MUC1 and MUC2 in pancreatic lesions obtained by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) and to determine the utility of MUC1 and MUC2 as markers for pancreatic ductal carcinoma.

METHODS.

Thirty-nine cell blocks of pancreatic FNA obtained under endoscopic ultrasound guidance were retrieved from the archives and immunostained with a monoclonal antibody directed against MUC1 and MUC2. These cell blocks were taken from 39 patients (16 females and 23 males) who had a median age of 64 years. Eleven FNAs were taken from patients with reactive/inflammatory conditions. The remaining 28 FNAs included 24 ductal carcinomas, 2 neuroendocrine tumors, 1 lymphoma sample, and 1 sarcoma sample. The presence of immunoreactivity, irrespective of the level of intensity or the percentage of cells, was considered as positive for MUC1 and MUC2 expression. Follow-up included correlation with pathology materials obtained at surgery and review of medical records.