Immunohistochemistry of desmin and vimentin in smooth muscle tumors of the digestive tract
Tsutsumi, Y.; Kubo, H.
Acta Pathologica Japonica 38(4): 455-469
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-6632
PMID: 3400467
DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1827.1988.tb02319.x
Accession: 005632412
The expression of desmin and vimentin in 35 "smooth muscle tumors" of the digestive tract was investigated using formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded materials and the indirect immunoperoxidase method. Fourteen of 15 esophageal tumors and two of 15 gastric tumors were categorized as benign leiomyoma with low cellularity, and immunohistochemically were desmin-positive and vimentin-negative as were normal muscle layers of the digestive tract. The remaining tumors showed moderate to high cellularity: Six tumors seemed to be malignant on the basis of frequent mitosis and/or nuclear atypia, while 11 were considered to be of borderline malignancy. This cellular tumor group exhibited consistent vimentin immunoreactivity, but desmin was negative or only weakly and/or focally positive. S-100 protein was fundamentally negative in these tumors. The pitfalls of studying desmin immunohistochemistry as a routine diagnostic tool in surgical pathology are discussed.