Esophagogastric junction carcinomas - Discriminating histological types through immunohistochemistry

Abstract

Background/Aim: Although differentiating squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from adenocarcinoma (AC) at the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) is important for the choice of treatment, this can occasionally be difficult with small biopsy specimens. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the most useful immunomarker panel for discriminating between SCC and AC of the EGJ. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 15 SCCs and 26 ACs of the EGJ obtained surgically using immunohistochemistry. Results: The sensitivities of p40, p63 and cytokeratin 5/6 were 100% with specificities of 88%, 46% and 81%, respectively, for SCC. The sensitivities of CAM5.2, caudal-type homeobox 2 (CDX2), mucin-5AC (MUC-5AC) and MUC-6 were 100%, 81%, 77% and 85% with specificities of 27%, 100%, 87% and 87% for AC. Conclusion: We demonstrated that a two-marker panel of p40 and CDX2 is highly sensitive and specific.