MUCIN HISTOCHEMISTRY OF OVARIAN BORDERLINE TUMORS OF MUCINOUS AND MIXED-EPITHELIAL TYPES

Mucin histochemistry was studied in 23 intestinal-type mucinous border line tumors, 21 endocervical-like mucinous borderline tumors, and 24 m ixed-epithelial borderline tumors. The Tatter two tumors, which are of mullerian type, had a mucin composition similar to that of normal end ocervix, with abundant neutral and acidic mucins in approximately equa l amounts and a slight predominance of sialomucins over sulfomucins. I ntestinal-type mucinous borderline tumors showed several patterns that most closely resembled gastric mucosa with varying degrees and types of intestinal metaplasia. In conclusion, mucin histochemistry shows st riking differences between these two types of mullerian borderline tum ors compared with intestinal-type mucinous borderline tumors and confi rm the subclassification of mucinous borderline tumors into intestinal and endocervical types.