CD34-positive stromal cells and alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive stromal cells in the tumor capsule of skin sweat gland neoplasms.

Abstract

To elucidate the roles of CD34-positive stromal cells and alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive stromal cells at the tumor border of skin sweat gland neoplasms, we examined expression of stromal cell markers in the tumor capsule of 19 skin sweat gland neoplasms (16 mixed tumors of the skin and three nodular hidradenomas) using monoclonal antibodies to CD34, CD31, cytokeratin 14 (CK14), alpha-smooth muscle actin (ASMA) and high molecular weight caldesmon (HCD). We regarded CD34-positive, CD31-, CK14-, ASMA- and HCD-negative stromal cells to be CD34-positive stromal cells, and ASMA-positive, HCD-, CK14-, CD34- and CD31-negative stromal cells to be ASMA-positive stromal cells. CD34-positive stromal cells were detected in the tumor capsule of all 19 of the tumors examined. In nine of the 16 mixed tumors (56%) and all of the three nodular hidradenomas, ASMA-positive stromal cells were detected at the immediate inner side of the CD34-positive stromal cell layers. These results indicate that cellular components in the tumor capsules of mixed tumors of the skin and nodular hidradenomas are CD34-positive stromal cells and ASMA-positive stromal cells, and suggest that stromal cells of these two cell types are associated with tumor capsule formation of skin sweat gland neoplasms.