IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A CASE OF DUODENAL GANGLIOCYTIC PARAGANGLIOMA

A case of duodenal gangliocytic paraganglioma (DGP) arising in the amp ulla of Vater of an 84 year old male is reported. The present case sho ws the typical histological features with a mixture of epithelioid, ga nglion-like and spindle cells. Immunohistochemically, the spindle cell s were positive with antibodies to neuron specific enorse, S-100 prote in and neurofilament (NF), but negative for anti-glial fibrillary acid ic protein (GFAP), synaptophysin and myelin basic protein (MBP), Both anti-Leu-7 and -chromogranin A antibodies gave positive reactions with a fine granular pattern in the epithelioid cells, Most ganglion-like cells showed the cytoplasmic immunoreaction with GFAP and a few with N F and synaptophysin. In these three tumor components, no reactivity wa s detected in the antibodies to the neurohormonal peptides tested, The present data are fundamentally in keeping with those previously repor ted, but add the immunohistochemical positivity of ganglion-like cells for GFAP, suggesting different neuroglial differentiation.