CD30 (BER-H2) EXPRESSION IN NONHEMATOPOIETIC TUMORS

CD30 expression helps to define anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, and it is present in embryonal carcinoma, suggesting utility in defining emb ryonal carcinoma as well. But the specificity of CD30 in nonhematopoie tic tumors has not been completely characterized. To do this, we stain ed 91 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumors for CD30 (Ber-H2). In a ddition, six embryonal carcinomas were stained. Standard immunoperoxid ase techniques with heat-induced epitope retrieval (HIER) and blocking of endogenous avidin-binding activity were used. Tumor cells with sta ining above background (1+ or greater) in a membranous pattern were ju dged positive. Six (100%) of six embryonal carcinomas had strong CD30 expression in a unique membranous (''chicken-wire'') pattern. No stain ing was identified in any of the other tumors studied: squamous cell c arcinoma, 0/5; breast carcinoma, 0/5; gastric carcinoma, 0/6; pan crea tic carcinoma. 0/5; colon carcinoma, 0/5; kidney carcinoma. 0/4; liver carcinoma, 0/5; cholangiocarcinoma, 0/3; lung carcinoma, 0/5: urinary bladder carcinoma, 0/5; ovarian carcinoma, 0/1; prostate carcinoma, 0 /5; endometrial carcinoma, 0/5; uterine cervical carcinoma, 0/1; papil lary thyroid carcinoma, 0/5; follicular thyroid adenoma, 0/5; Leydig-c ell tumor, Oil; malignant melanoma, 0/2; carcinoid, 0/6; mesothelioma, 0/3; fibrosarcoma, 0/3; synovial sarcoma, 0/1; medulloblastoma, 0/4; and pinealblastoma, Oil. Positive cytoplasmic staining in normal cells was identified only in plasma cells and occasional ''activated'' lymp hoid cells in adjacent lymphoid tissues. Nonspecific granular cytoplas mic staining was identified in many tumors and normal tissues before b locking for endogenous avidin-binding activity. In summary, in this se ries of 97 tumors, the membranous (chicken-wire) pattern of staining a ppears specific and limited to embryonal carcinoma.