A panel of antibodies useful in the cytologic diagnosis of metastatic melanoma.

Five antibodies, 2D.1 (pan-leukocyte), AE-1,3 (anti-keratin), B72.3 (anti-carcinoma), ME 1-14 (alpha-chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan) and polyclonal S-100 protein (P-S100), were tested to determine if this panel could be used immunocytochemically to differentiate melanoma from nonmelanoma. A total of 161 cases were evaluated: 145 fine needle aspirates of various body sites and 16 effusions, consisting of 52 melanomas, 41 adenocarcinomas, 11 squamous cell carcinomas, 14 undifferentiated carcinomas, 8 small cell carcinomas, 8 miscellaneous carcinomas, 8 primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors, 7 lymphomas/leukemias, 4 sarcomas and 8 benign effusions. The 52 melanomas were stained by ME 1-14 (in 31 cases) and by P-S100 (in 39 cases), but not by B72.3, AE-1,3 or 2D.1. The 82 carcinomas reacted with P-S100 (in 25 cases), B72.3 (in 37 cases), AE-1,3 (in 68 cases) and 2D.1 (in 1 case), but not with ME 1-14. Lymphomas were stained only by 2D.1 (5 of 7 cases). The eight primary CNS tumors reacted solely with ME1-14 (in 3 cases) and P-S100 (in 3 cases). The eight benign effusions exhibited staining by ME 1-14 (in 1 case), P-S100 (in 1 case), AE-1,3 (in 3 cases) and 2D.1 (in 8 cases), but not by B72.3. Thirty-six cases (including 11 melanomas) failed to stain with any antibody. In summary, 41 of 52 melanomas and 4 of 8 CNS tumors stained with ME1-14, P-S100 or both and were negative for B72.3, AE-1,3 and 2D.1. Only 2 of 101 other nonmelanomas exhibited this pattern. Thus, this panel distinguishes melanoma from other neoplastic and nonneoplastic processes in the majority of cases.