Endothelial markers in malignant vascular tumours of the liver: Superiority of QB-END/10 over Von Willebrand factor and Ulex europaeus agglutinin 1

Abstract

A new monoclonal antibody, QB-END/10, raised against the CD34 antigen in human endothelial cell membranes and haemopoietic progenitor cells, was studied for its usefulness as a marker of neoplastic vascular cells in 21 angiosarcomas and seven malignant haemangioendotheliomas of the liver. QB-ENDVWF/10 waqs both more sensitive and more specific than Von Willebrand factor (VWF)] and Ulex europaeus 1 agglutinin (UEA-1) in labelling endothelial cells and it did not cross react with epithelia as UEA-1 often does. Staining was uniformly strong and clear in all histological variants of these two tumours. QB-END/10 should prove particularly useful in the differential diagnosis of malignant vascular tumours of the liver.