Adenoid cystic carcinoma and polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma of minor salivary glands: a comparative immunohistochemical study using the epithelial membrane and carcinoembryonic antibodies.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate immunohistochemically the expression of epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) and polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA) in an attempt to assess the ability of these markers to distinguish AdCC from PLGA when the histological features on routine hematoxylin and eosin are equivocal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen specimens of AdCC, 10 PLGA, and five normal minor salivary glands fixed in 10% formalin and embedded in paraffin, were retrieved from the files of our department and were retrospectively studied with the streptavidin-biotin complex method using the epithelial membrane and carcinoembryonic antibodies. RESULTS: The immunoreactivities and the expression patterns of EMA and CEA in AdCC and PLGA were similar. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that the immunostaining of AdCC and PLGA with EMA and CEA could not offer an adjunctive aid in differential diagnosis between these two tumors.