SECRETONEURIN IN BRONCHOPULMONARY CARCINOIDS - IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL COMPARISON WITH CHROMOGRANIN-A AND CHROMOGRANIN-B AND SECRETOGRANIN-II

Ninety-nine classical and 11 atypical bronchopulmonary carcinoids were investigated immunohistochemically with an antibody against secretone urin, a peptide proteolytically processed from secretogranin II (chrom ogranin C), as well as antibodies against chromogranin A and B and sec retogranin II. Secretoneurin was immunolocalized in 86 tumours (78 cla ssical and eight atypical carcinoids); secretogranin II was found in t he same tumours in a similar distribution, whereas chromogranin A was present in all 100 and chromogranin B in 106 tumours investigated, Bro nchopulmonary carcinoids are usually not associated with clinically or biochemically distinct syndromes. Although we found bronchial carcino ids with different immunohistochemical chromogranins/secretogranin pat terns, no correlation with the biological behaviour of these tumours c ould be demonstrated.