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Prevalence and prognostic significance of neuroendocrine differentiation in colorectal carcinomas

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Abstract

The prognostic significance of neuroendocrine differentiation in colorectal carcinoma is uncertain. We analyzed 289 moderately differentiated (grades II and III) colorectal carcinomas for neuroendocrine differentiation by immunohistochemistry andin situ hybridization. The tumors were divided into three groups based on the presence of and the numbers of neuroendocrine cells, with group I having no neuroendocrine cells, group II having <1 positive cell/mm2, and group III with >1 positive cell/mm2.In situ hybridization with probes for chromogranin A and B detected almost twice as many neuroendocrine cells as did immunostaining with an antibody for chromogranin A. There was no prognostic difference associated with the presence or absence of neuroendocrine differentiation in this group of moderately differentiated carcinomas. These results indicate that the presence of neuroendocrine cells detected by expression of chromogranin protein or mRNA does not influence prognosis in moderately differentiated colorectal carcinomas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, MN

    Ricardo V. Lloyd MD, PhD, Georgene Schroeder MS, Long Jin MD & Richard M. Goldberg MD

  2. Siouxland Hematology, Oncology Associates, Sioux City, IA

    Mitchel D. Bauman MD

  3. Duluth Community Clinical Oncology Program, Duluth, MN

    James E. Krook MD

  4. Ochsner CCOP, New Orleans, LA

    Gist H. Farr MD

Authors
  1. Ricardo V. Lloyd MD, PhD
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  2. Georgene Schroeder MS
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  3. Mitchel D. Bauman MD
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  4. James E. Krook MD
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  5. Long Jin MD
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  6. Richard M. Goldberg MD
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  7. Gist H. Farr MD
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Correspondence to Ricardo V. Lloyd MD, PhD.

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Lloyd, R.V., Schroeder, G., Bauman, M.D. et al. Prevalence and prognostic significance of neuroendocrine differentiation in colorectal carcinomas. Endocr Pathol 9, 35–42 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02739950

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