Table 2 Expected immunohistochemical and histochemical staining reactions in epithelioid malignant mesothelioma and adenocarcinoma.
| Marker/stain | Mesothelioma | Adenocarcinoma |
|---|---|---|
| Pan‐cytokeratin | + | + |
| Cytokeratin 5/6 | + | −* |
| Calretinin | + | − |
| CEA | − | + |
| B72.3 | − | + |
| TTF‐1 | − | +† |
| Ber‐EP4 | − | + |
| D2‐40 | + | − |
| WT1 | + | −‡ |
| Thrombomodulin | + | −§ |
| MOC‐31 | − | + |
| BG‐8 | − | + |
| CD15 (Leu‐M1) | − | + |
| Periodic acid‐Schiff without diastase | + or − | + |
| Periodic acid‐Schiff with diastase (PAS‐D) | − | + |
| Alcian blue | + | +/− |
| Alcian blue with hyaluronidase | − | If + without digestion, remains + after digestion |
+, positive; −, negative.
*Positive in a small proportion of non‐pulmonary adenocarcinomas.
†Nuclear staining in pulmonary adenocarcinoma and thyroid carcinoma.
‡Positive in some renal, ovarian and endometrioid carcinomas.
§Positive in most renal and urothelial carcinomas.
CEA, Monoclonal carcinoembryonic antigen; TTF‐1 thyroid transcription factor‐1; WT1, Wilms tumour gene 1; PAS‐D, periodic acid‐Schiff‐D.