Neurohormonal peptide immunoreactive cells in mucinous cystadenomas and cystadenocarcinomas of the ovary

Summary

In 144 benign mucinous cystadenomas of the ovary, 33 mucinous cystadenomas of borderline malignancy and 64 mucinous cystadenocarcinomas, the incidence of tumours containing argyrophil (and probably endocrine) cells was 18%, 33%, and 53%, respectively. The results of a semiquantitative assessment of the number of argyrophil cells in each individual tumour indicates that the greatest numbers occurred in the cystadenocarcinomas. As, however, the tumour cell density was larger in the cystadenocarcinomas than in the cystadenomas, and as the argyrophil cells often had a patchy distribution in the tumour epithelium, the incidence figures are unreliable. In addition, visualization of the argyrophil cells depends on an adequate fixation which is difficult to achieve in the routine processing of large tumour specimens.

Many argyrophil cells in the cystadenocarcinomas displayed immunoreactivity with antisera raised against gastro-entero-pancreatic (GEP) neurohormonal peptides. In ten such tumours immunohistochemical evidence was obtained for the presence of the following neurohormonal peptides in the tumour cells: somatostatin, glucagon, gastrin/CCK, neurotensin, and enkephalin. Four of these ten cystadenocarcinomas were multihormonal, in that three contained two cell populations storing GEP neurohormonal peptides, and one tumour even three such populations. In the benign cystadenomas, however, no immunoreactive tumour cells were found. In those of borderline type, only two harboured immunoreactive cells. In both cases the tumour cells stored gastrin/CCK.

The general appearance of the epithelium in the mucinous tumours — a continuous single-cell layer of mucin-producing cells intermingled with argyrophil cells of open type — and the spectrum of neurohormonal peptides observed, indicate an origin from the foregut endoderm.