Heparanase expression: a potential ancillary diagnostic tool for distinguishing between malignant cells and reactive mesothelium in body cavity effusions |
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Authors: | V. Doviner B. Maly T. Reinhartz I. Vlodavsky Y. Sherman |
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Affiliation: | Department of Pathology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. |
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Abstract: | OBJECTIVE: Heparanase, an endoglycosidase that cleaves heparan sulphate, is frequently expressed in carcinomas and was suggested to play a role in cell invasion and metastasis. We investigated whether heparanase expression may serve as a reliable marker to discriminate benign mesothelial cells from malignant cells shed into body cavities. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cytological smears of effusions from 51 hospitalized patients were immunostained for heparanase. Strong immunoreactivity was noted in 35 of 40 (88%) carcinoma samples and in all three malignant mesothelioma cases. Only rare (<3%) reactive mesothelial cells were noted showing a faint negligible staining. Specificity was 100%, sensitivity 88%, and positive and negative predictive values were 100% and 89% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that heparanase may be of value as a complementary component in a diagnostic panel of markers, contributing to its reliability and accuracy. |
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Keywords: | serons effusions malignant cells mesothelial cells heparanase immunocytochemistry cytology |
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