Immunohistochemical differentiation of neuroblastomas from other small round cell neoplasms of childhood using a panel of mono-and polyclonal antibodies

Abstract

A panel of monoclonal antibodies to neuroblastoma cells, leucocyte common antigen, vimentin and MHC class II antigens (HLA-DR) and a polyclonal antibody to epidermal keratin were used for immunohistochemistry on sections of ethanol fixed and paraffin embedded specimens from 40 undifferentiated small cell tumours and 10 neural crest neoplasms. With the exception of central nervous system neoplasms and two embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas, immunohistochemical examination discriminated between the neural crest neoplasms and the other small cell tumours. Moreover, the staining pattern of neoplastic cells and structures in the neural crest neoplasms obtained with antibodies to neuroblastoma cells seemed, in part, to reflect the degree of tumour differentiation.