[Study of neuroendocrine markers in 356 cases of adenocarcinomas]

OBJECTIVE: To ivestigate the incidence of neuroendocrine (NE) cells and hormone products in adenocarcinomas and to explore its clinicopathological significance. METHODS: 356 cases of adenocarcinomas were studied by immunocytochemistry with antibodies for chromorgranin and polypeptide hormones. RESULTS: The prevalence of NE cells and hormone products were detected in 54 of 130(41.5%) and 32 of 54 (59.3%) colorectal carcinomas, 38 of 96(39.6%) and 14 of 38 (36.8%) gastric cancer, 8 of 21(38.1%) and 4 of 8(50.0%) prostatic carcinomas, 17 of 81(21.0%) and 3 of 17(17.6%) breast cancer, 5 of 28(17.9%) and 3 of 5 (60.0%) pancreatic carcinomas, respectively. Among carcinomas of large intestine, pancreas and breast, the incidence of NE cells in well differentiated ones was higher than that in the poorly differentiation. By contrast, NE cells were found more frequently in the letter than in the former in gastric carcinoma. The cases with NE cell (++) or polypeptide positive cells exhibited higher 5-year survival rate than those without NE cells in colorectal carcinomas. CONCLUSION: The presence of neuroendocrine cells and the hormone products may be close correlated with the degree of tumore cell differentiation. For colorectal carcinoms, there is a close correlation of the presence of NE cells and the hormone products with the tumor staging and prognosis.