Abstract
Metastatic lung carcinomas with clear cell morphology can be confused with primary ovarian clear cell carcinomas. We performed immunohistochemical stains in 14 cases of non-small cell lung carcinomas with clear cell features and 14 cases of ovarian clear cell carcinomas using a panel of markers, including thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), Wilms tumor gene 1, octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT-4), cancer antigen 125 (CA-125), estrogen receptor, and progesterone receptor. Among non-small cell lung carcinomas with clear cell features, 87.5% of adenocarcinomas (or 50% overall frequency in lung carcinomas) were positive for TTF-1, whereas none of the ovarian clear cell carcinomas were positive (P = 0.002). All 14 ovarian clear cell carcinomas stained for CA-125 as compared with 1 non-small cell lung carcinoma (P < 0.001). On the other hand, 85% of non-small cell lung carcinomas stained for CEA, whereas none of the ovarian clear cell carcinomas did (P < 0.001). Interestingly, 4 ovarian clear cell carcinomas (28%) showed positive staining for the germ cell marker OCT-4. Either lung or ovarian carcinomas stained for Wilms tumor gene 1, estrogen receptor, or progesterone receptor very infrequently; and the difference between the 2 groups was not statistically significant. Our results suggest that an immunohistochemical panel consisting of TTF-1, CEA, CA-125, and OCT-4 is helpful in distinguishing most pulmonary and ovarian carcinomas with clear cell features.
Published Version
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