Immunohistochemical distinction of paragangliomas from epithelial neuroendocrine tumors-gangliocytic duodenal and cauda equina paragangliomas align with epithelial neuroendocrine tumors
HUMAN PATHOLOGY
Authors: Mamilla, Divya; Manukyan, Irena; Fetsch, Patricia A.; Pacak, Karel; Miettinen, Markku
Abstract
Distinction of paraganglioma (PGL) from epithelial neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) can be difficult as they can mimic each other by nested architecture and expression of neuroendocrine markers. In this study, we examined differential diagnostic markers in 262 PGLs (142 adrenal pheochromocytomas and 120 extra-adrenal PGLs), 9 duodenal gangliocytic PGLs and 3 cauda equina PGLs, and 286 NETs (81 GI, 78 pancreatic, 42 thoracic, 37 medullary thyroid carcinomas, and 48 high-grade NETs including 32 small cell carcinomas of lung). While keratin expression was nearly uniform in NETs with the exception of few tumors, extensive keratin expression was seen in only one PGL (<1%) and focal expression in 5% PGLs. GATA3 was present in >90% of PGLs but only in 2% of NETs, usually focally. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was expressed in >90% of adrenal, abdominal, and thoracic PGLs but only in 37% of head and neck PGLs, reflecting their variable catecholamine synthesis. Focal or occasional extensive TH-expression was detected in 10% of NETs. CDX2 was a helpful discriminator seen in 28% of pancreatic and most GI NETs but in no PGLs. SOX10 detected sustentacular cells in 85% of PGLs and 7% of NETs, whereas GFAP detected sustentacular cells mainly in PGLs of neck and was absent in NETs. Duodenal gangliocytic PGLs (n = 9) and all cauda equina PGLs (n = 3) expressed keratins, lacked GATA3, showed no or minimal TH expression as some NETs, and contained SOX10 and 5100 protein-positive spindle cells negative for GFAP. Ganglion-like epithelioid cells were keratin-positive and negative for TH and SOX10 differing from true ganglion cells. We conclude that duodenal gangliocytic and cauda equina PGLs have a NET- like immunoprofile and differ from ordinary PGLs. NETs can be distinguished from PGLs by their expression of keratins and general lack of GATA3, TH, and GFAP-positive sustentacular cells, and sometimes by expression of CDX2 or TTF1. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Three-dimensional analysis of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and tumor budding
JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
Authors: Yoshizawa, Tadashi; Hong, Seung-Mo; Jung, DongJun; Noe, Michael; Kiemen, Ashley; Wu, Pei-Hsun; Wirtz, Denis; Hruban, Ralph H.; Wood, Laura D.; Oshima, Kiyoko
Abstract
Advances in tissue clearing and microscopy make it possible to study human diseases in three dimensions (3D). High-grade tumor budding is known to be associated with poor prognosis in various cancers; however, little is known about the 3D architecture of TB. Using tissue clearing, we analyzed the 3D structure of tumor budding and E-cadherin expression in 31 extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas. A total of 31 thick slabs (up to 5 mm) were harvested from surgically resected tumor tissue, including 27 hilar and 4 distal cholangiocarcinomas. Twenty-eight cases were adenocarcinoma, and three were undifferentiated carcinoma. After clearing, the tissues were immunolabeled with antibodies to cytokeratin 19 and to E-cadherin, and then visualized using light-sheet and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Tumor budding was evaluated in hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections (2D) using standard pathological criteria. Of the 31 cancers, 13 showed low-grade tumor budding and 18 showed high-grade tumor budding. First, 3D analysis revealed that the neoplastic cells in tumor buds of adenocarcinoma were typically not individual islands of cells, but rather tips of attenuated protrusions connected to the main tumor. Second, adenocarcinomas with low-grade tumor budding were composed predominantly of tubules that only focally form cords at the periphery. By contrast, adenocarcinomas with high-grade tumor budding predominantly formed cords in both centers and peripheries of the tumors. Third, adenocarcinoma with low-grade tumor budding was characterized by a few short protrusions with few branches, whereas adenocarcinoma with high-grade tumor budding was characterized by longer protrusions with more branching. Finally, immunolabeling of E-cadherin was stronger in the center of the adenocarcinoma but decreased at the tips of protrusions. E-cadherin loss was more extensive in the protrusions of high-grade tumor budding than in the protrusions of low-grade tumor budding. Our findings suggest that tumor buds as seen in 2D are, in fact, cross-sections of attenuated but contiguous protrusions extending from the main tumor. (c) 2020 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.