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Neural cell adhesion molecule expression in human pituitary adenomas

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Abstract

Neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is a cell surface glycoprotein whose expression may be important in metastatic or local growth of neoplasms. Expression of NCAM in human pituitary adenomas was assessed on snap-frozen and Bouin's and/or formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissue using a sensitive alkaline phosphatase-antialkaline phosphatase method of immunostaining with the monoclonal antibody, NKH-1.

The 20 pituitary adenoma patients consisted of 13 males and 7 females, ages 19–78 years, with null cell macroadenomas (3), plurihormonal macroadenomas (4), weak gonadotropic macroadenomas (5), growth hormone-prolactin adenomas (2), and prolactinomas (6). Eight of the adenomas were clinically invasive. The snap-frozen material from 14 pituitary tumors showed immunostaining for NCAM in either a cytoplasmic, peripheral membranous, or mixed pattern; 2 of 3 prolactinomas showed patchy immunostaining. The Bouin's and/or formalin-fixed pituitary adenoma specimens from 6 clinically invasive cases showed less distinct NCAM localization but 4 out of 6 showed diffusely positive NCAM immunostaining, with greatest intensity appreciated on the Bouin's-fixed tissue. There was no correlation between NCAM staining pattern and invasive characteristics of the tumors. These results suggest that NCAM expressivity is not a useful marker for assessing pituitary adenoma tumor invasiveness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, 80262-0216, Denver, CO, USA

    B. K. Kleinschmidt-DeMasters, Wilbur A. Franklin & Carol A. Kruse

  2. Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, 80262-0216, Denver, CO, USA

    B. K. Kleinschmidt-DeMasters

  3. Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, 80262-0216, Denver, CO, USA

    Kevin O. Lillehei & Carol A. Kruse

Authors
  1. B. K. Kleinschmidt-DeMasters
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  2. David R. Conway
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  3. Wilbur A. Franklin
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  4. Kevin O. Lillehei
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  5. Carol A. Kruse
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Kleinschmidt-DeMasters, B.K., Conway, D.R., Franklin, W.A. et al. Neural cell adhesion molecule expression in human pituitary adenomas. J Neuro-Oncol 25, 205–213 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01053153

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01053153

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