An immunohistochemical and clinicopathological study of gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Immunohistochemical and clinicopathological features of 58 gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) were studied. One occurred in the esophagus, 41 in the stomach, nine in the small intestine, and seven in the large intestine. By using indirect immunoperoxidase staining for Cajal cell markers (c-kit protein and CD34), smooth muscle markers (alpha-smooth muscle actin, desmin, heavy caldesmon and calponin) and Schwann cell markers (S-100 protein and Leu 7), GIST were classified into five groups, such as Cajal cell type (n = 9), myogenic type (n = 5), Schwann cell type (n = 2), mixed cell type (n = 40) and undifferentiated type (n = 2). c-kit Protein (42/58; 72%) and CD34 (45/58; 78%) were commonly and diffusely expressed in GIST. Novel smooth muscle markers, caldesmon (29/58; 50%) and calponin (18/58; 31%), were useful in detecting myogenic characters of GIST. S-100 protein was expressed in 16 (28%) tumors, two of which were also reactive with Leu 7 (CD57). Three small bowel tumors with skeinoid fibers expressed the Cajal cell markers, and were categorizable in GIST. Clinicopathological analyses using aggressive (n = 21) and non-aggressive (n = 21) GIST indicated that the malignant potential was correlated with the intestinal location, large tumor size, high cellularity, necrosis, solid (non-interlacing bundled) pattern of growth, negativity of c-kit protein and/or CD34, high mitotic count, and high MIB-1 labeling.