Immunohistochemical aspects of basal cell adenoma and canalicular adenoma of salivary glands

Basal cell adenoma is a benign epithelial neoplasm with a uniform histologi c appearance dominated by basaloid cells. Those cells may be distributed in various arrangements as solid, trabecular, tubular and membranous. Canalic ular adenoma is also a benign neoplasm composed by columnar cells arranged in branching and interconnecting cords of single or double cell thick rows. Then is some disagreement among investigators about whether canalicular ad enoma should be included within the basal cell adenoma histologic spectrum. In the present study we compared the expression of cytokeratins (CK), vime ntin and muscle-specific actin, utilizing immunohistochemical technique, in three cases diagnosed as basal cell adenomas predominantly of the solid ty pe, and three cases of canalicular adenomas. The results obtained showed a distinct immunoprofile for both neoplasms. Solid areas of basal cell adenom as did not stain for any of the tested antibodies; only when there was tubu lar differentiation, those structures expressed CKs 7, 8, 14, and 19 in lum inal cells and vimentin in non-luminal cells. On the other hand, canalicula r adenomas strongly expressed CKs 7 and 13. The panel of antibodies utilize d supports the separation of the two entities. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Lt d. All rights reserved.