Authors: Çiri M.¹; Erhan Y.¹; Zekioglu O.¹; Bayramoglu H.²

Source: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, Volume 83, Number 5, May 2004 , pp. 491-496(6)

Publisher: Informa Healthcare

Abstract:

Inhibin is a heterodimeric protein hormone that appears to be a sensitive immunohistochemical marker of sex cord-stromal tumors. Although sex cord-stromal tumors can usually be distinguished from ovarian epithelial tumors or their metastases by morphology or by using antibodies against intermediate filaments, the diagnosis remains difficult in rare situations in such cases as sarcomatoid granulosa-theca cell tumors, ovarian small cell carcinomas, or soft-tissue sarcomas. The purposes of this study were to examine inhibin and immunoreactivity in a wide range of gonadal stromal neoplasms and to assess its value in the differential diagnosis of problematic tumors.

A total of 108 paraffin-embedded ovarian and extraovarian tumors were examined immunohistochemically by using anti- inhibin and anti- inhibin. Inhibin immunostaining was identified in 46 (81%) of 57 gonadal stromal tumors, one (14%) of seven endometrial stromal tumors, and one (50%) of two primary ovarian carcinoid tumors. Inhibin immunostaining was detected in 55 (96%) of 57 gonadal stromal tumors, two (29%) of seven endometrial stromal tumors, one (50%) of two dysgerminomas, and in all of two (100%) primary ovarian carcinoid tumors. Inhibin expression was not detected in any ovarian surface epithelial tumor cells. Some surface epithelial tumors showed stromal inhibin (15% of cases) and inhibin (48% of cases) positivity. Weak immunoreactivity for inhibin was found in most (83% of cases) ovarian surface epithelial tumors. Two ovarian Burkitt lymphomas were negative for inhibin and .

Inhibin is a sensitive immunohistochemical marker of gonadal stromal tumors and is of value in the differential diagnosis of ovarian neoplasia. Inhibin is a nonspecific marker for ovarian neoplasms, showing expression on tumor and stromal cells of different epithelial or stromal tumors.

Keywords: inhibin; ovarian tumors; sex cord-stromal tumors; immunohistochemistry

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0001-6349.2004.00167.x

Affiliations: 1: Ege University Medical Faculty, Izmir, and 2: Zekai Tahir Burak Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

Publication date: 2004-05-01

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