Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Immunohistochemical characterization of undifferentiated carcinomas of the ovary

  • Original Papers
  • Clinical Oncology
  • Published:
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Immunohistochemical characteristics of undifferentiated carcinomas of the ovary were examined using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues with an avidinbiotin staining approach. Eight cases were collected from the pathology files of our Institute from a total of 214 recorded malignant ovarian tumors. For immunostaining, antibodies reacting with epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), pankeratin, vimentin, CA 125, CA 19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), α-fetoprotein (AFP), α-l-antitrypsin (AT), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), c-erbB-2,bcl-2 and p53 proteins were used. All the cases examined were positive for EMA and pankeratin, specific markers for epithelial tumors, negative for the non-epithelial tumor marker, vimentin, and also positive for EGFR. Interestingly, only one case was positive for CA 125, despite it being one of the commonest reported indicators of ovarian cancer. CA 19-9 was positive in 7 cases, CEA in 5, AFP in 2, AT in 6 and c-erbB-2 protein in 4. Two cases were positive for p53 protein, and in 1 of these positive staining forbcl-2 was also observed. These results indicate that the epithelial nature is well preserved in undifferentiated ovarian carcinomas, although consistently positive reactions were not observed within the cases for some antigens. They further celarly show that a negative signal for CA 125 can not be considered to exclude the possibility of a primary ovarian tumor.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

EMA:

epithelial membrane antigen

EGFR:

epidermal growth factor receptor

References

  • Abelev GI (1971) Alpha-fetoprotein in ontogenesis and its association with malignant tumors. Adv Cancer Res 14:295–358

    Google Scholar 

  • Aure JC, Hoeg K, Kolstad P (1971) Clinical and histologic studies of ovarian carcinoma: long-term follow-up of 990 cases. J Obstet Gynecol 37:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Bast RC Jr, Feeney M, Lazarus H, Nadler LM, Colvin RB, Knapp RC (1981) Reactivity of a monoclonal antibody with human ovarian carcinoma. J Clin Invest 68:1331–1337

    Google Scholar 

  • Bast RC Jr, Klug TL, Schaetzel E, Lavin P, Niloff JM, Greber TF, Zurawski VR, Knapp RC (1984) Monitoring human ovarian carcinoma with a combination of CA-125, CA-19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen. Am J Obstet Gynecol 149:553–559

    Google Scholar 

  • Berchuck A, Kamel A, Whitaker R, Kerns B, Olt B, Kinney R, Soper JT, Dodge R, Clarke-Pearson DL, Marks P, McKenzie S, Yin S, Bast RC (1990) Overexpression of HER/neu is associated with poor survival in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Cancer Res 50:4087–4091

    Google Scholar 

  • Berchuck A, Rodriguez GC, Kamel A, Dodge RK, Soper JT, Clarke-Pearson DL, Bast RC (1991) Epidermal growth factor in normal ovarian epithelium and ovarian cancer. I. Correlation of receptor expression with prognostic factors in patients with ovarian cancer. Am J Obstet Gynecol 164:669–674

    Google Scholar 

  • Cross M, Dexter TM (1991) Growth factors in development, transformation and tumorigenesis. Cell 64:271–280

    Google Scholar 

  • Gullick WJ, Marsden JJ, Whittle N, Ward B, Bobrow L, Waterfield MD (1986) Expression of epidermal growth factor receptors on human cervical, ovarian, and vulvar carcinomas. Cancer Res 46:285–292

    Google Scholar 

  • Heyderman E, Strudley I, Powell G, Richardson TC, Cordell JL, Mason DY (1985) A new monoclonal antibody to epithelial membrane antigen (EMA)-E29. A comparison of its immunocytochemical reactivity with polyclonal anti-EMA antibodies and with another monoclonal antibody, HMFG-2. Br J Cancer 52:355–361

    Google Scholar 

  • Higashiyama M, Doi O, Kodama K, Yokouchi H, Tateishi R (1992) An evaluation of the prognostic significance of alpha-1-antitrypsin expression in adenocarcinomas of the lung: an immunohistochemical analysis. Br J Cancer 65:300–302

    Google Scholar 

  • Hockenbery D, Nunez G, Milliman C, Schreiber RD, Korsmeyer SJ (1990) Bcl-2 is an inner mitochondrial membrane protein that blocks programmed cell death. Nature 348:334–336

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu SM, Raine L, Fanger H (1981) Use of avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) in immunoperoxidase techniques: a comparison between ABC and unlabeled antibody (PAP) procedures. J Histochem Cytochem 29:577–580

    Google Scholar 

  • Iggo R, Gatter K, Jarter J, Lane D, Harris AL (1990) Increased expression of mutant forms of p53 oncogene in primary lung cancer. Lancet 335:675–679

    Google Scholar 

  • Kabawat SE, Bast RC, Welch WR, Knapp RC, Colvin RB (1983) Immunopathologic characterization of a monoclonal antibody that recognizes common surface antigens of human ovarian tumors of serous, endometrioid, and clear cell types. Am J Clin Pathol 79:98–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Karashima S, Kataoka H, Itoh H, Maruyama R, Koono M (1990) Prognostic significance of alpha-1-antitrypsin in early stage of colorectal carcinomas. Int J Cancer 45:244–250

    Google Scholar 

  • Kihara T, Tsuda H, Teshima S, Okada S, Matsuura S, Hirohashi S (1992) High incidence of p53 gene mutation in human ovarian cancer and its association with nuclear accumulation of p53 protein and tumor DNA aneuploidy. Jpn J Cancer Res 83:978–984

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohler MF, Marks JR, Wiseman RW, Jacobs IJ, Davidoff AM, Clarke-Pearson DL, Soper JT, Bast RC Jr, Berchuck A (1993) Spectrum of mutation and frequency of allelic deletion of the p53 gene in ovarian cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 85:1513–1519

    Google Scholar 

  • Kupryjanczyk J, Thor AD, Beauchamp R, Merritt V, Edgerton SM, Bell DA, Yandell DW (1993) p53 gene mutations and protein accumulation in human ovarian cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90:4961–4965

    Google Scholar 

  • Lane DP, Benchimol S (1990) p53: oncogene or anti-oncogene? Gene Dev 4:1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurell CB, Jeppsson JO (1975) Protease inhibitor in plasma. II. Alpha-1-antitrypsin. In: Putnam FW (ed) Plasma proteins, structure, function, and genetic control, vol 1. Academic Press, New York pp 232–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Loy TS, Quesenberry JT, Sharp SC (1992) Distribution of CA 125 in adenocarcinomas: an immunohistochemical study of 481 cases. Am J Clin Pathol 98:175–179

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonnel TJ, Troncoso P, Brisbay SM, Logothetis C, Chung LW, Hsieh JT, Tu SM, Campbell ML (1992) Expression of the protooncogene bcl-2 in the prostate and its association with emergence of androgen-independent prostate cancer. Cancer Res 52:6940–6944

    Google Scholar 

  • Nagura H, Tsutsumi Y, Shioda Y, Watanabe K (1983) Immunohistochemistry of gastric carcinomas and associated diseases: novel distribution of carcinoembryonic antigen and secretory component on the surface of gastric cancer cells. J Histochem Cytochem 31:193–198

    Google Scholar 

  • Neiman PE, Thomas SJ, Loring G (1991) Induction of apoptosis during normal and neoplastic B-cell development in the bursa of Fabricius. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88:5857–5861

    Google Scholar 

  • Neunteufel W, Breitenecker G (1987) Tissue expression of CA 125 in benign and malignant lesions of ovary and fallopian tube: a comparison with CA 19-9 and CEA. Gynecol Oncol 32:297–302

    Google Scholar 

  • Okamoto T, Hirabayashi K, Ishiguro T (1993) Immunohistochemical type distinction of α-fetoprotein in various α-fetoprotein-secreting tumors. Jpn J Cancer Res 84:360–364

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborn M, Debus E, Weber K (1984) Monoclonal antibodies specific for vimentin. Eur J Cell Biol 34:137–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Prat J, Matias-Guiu X, Barreto J (1991) Simultaneous carcinoma involving the endometrium and the ovary: a clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical, and DNA flow cytometric study of 18 cases. Cancer 68:2455–2459

    Google Scholar 

  • Purdie CA, O'Grady J, Piris J, Wyllie AH, Bird CC (1991) p53 expression in colorectal tumors. Am J Pathol 138:807–813

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva EG, Tornos C, Bailey MA, Morris M (1991) Undifferentiated carcinoma of the ovary. Arch Pathol Lab Med 155:377–381

    Google Scholar 

  • Slamon DJ, Godolphin W, Jones LA, Holt JA, Wong SG, Keith DE, Levin WJ, Stuart SG, Udove J, Ullrich A, Press MF (1987) Studies of the HER/neu protooncogene in human breast and ovarian cancer. Science 244:707–712

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorbe B, Frankendal B, Veress B (1982) Importance of histologic grading in the prognosis of epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Obstet Gynecol 59:576–582

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun TT, Shih C, Green H (1979) Keratin cytoskeletons in epithelial cells of internal organs. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 76:2813–2817

    Google Scholar 

  • Swenerton KD, Hislop TG, Spinelli J, Le-Riche JC, Yang N, Boyes DA (1985) Ovarian carcinoma: a multivariate analysis of prognostic factors. Obstet Gynecol 65:264–269

    Google Scholar 

  • Teneriello MG, Ebina M, Linnolia RI, Henry M, Nash JD, Park RC, Birrer MJ (1993) p53 and Ki-ras gene mutations in epithelial ovarian neoplasms. Cancer Res 53:3103–3108

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsujimoto Y, Croce CM (1986) Analysis of the structure, transcripts, and protein products of bcl-2, the gene involved in human follicular lymphoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 83:5214–5218

    Google Scholar 

  • Tseng SCG, Jarvinen MJ, Nelson WG, Huang JW, Woodcock-Mitchell J, Sun TT (1982) Correlation of specific keratins with different types of epithelial differentiation: monoclonal antibody studies. Cell 30: 361–372

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang D, Konishi I, Koshiyama M, Nanbu Y, Iwai T, Nonogaki H, Mori T, Fujii S (1992) Immunohistochemical localization of c-erbB-2 protein and epidermal growth factor receptor in normal surface epithelium, surface inclusion cysts, and common epithelial tumours of the ovary. Virchows Arch [A] 421:393–400

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinberg RA (1991) Tumor suppressor genes. Science 252:1138–1146

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodcock-Mitchell J, Eichner R, Nelson WG, Sun TT (1982) Immunolocalization of keratin polypeptides in human epidermis using monoclonal antibodies. J Cell Biol 95:580–588

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamaguchi K, Enjoji M, Tsuneyoshi M (1991) Pancreatoduodenal carcinoma: a clinicopathologic study of 304 patients and immunohistochemical observation for CEA and CA 19-9. J Surg Oncol 47:148–154

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Saitama Cancer Center, Ina Kitaadachi-gun, 362, Saitama, Japan

    Yoshio Kuwashima, Toshitaka Uehara, Kiyozo Kishi & Shojiro Takayama

  2. Department of Gynecology, Saitama Cancer Center, Saitama, Japan

    Kenji Shiromizu & Masumi Matsuzawa

Authors
  1. Yoshio Kuwashima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Toshitaka Uehara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kiyozo Kishi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kenji Shiromizu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Masumi Matsuzawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Shojiro Takayama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kuwashima, Y., Uehara, T., Kishi, K. et al. Immunohistochemical characterization of undifferentiated carcinomas of the ovary. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 120, 672–677 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01245380

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01245380

Key words

Search

Navigation