Use of a monoclonal antibody (VM-2) plus the immunogold-silver technique to stain basal cell carcinoma cells

A newly described murine monoclonal antibody, VM-2, stains both basal cell carcinoma cells and squamous cell carcinoma cells of the skin. We have combined this monoclonal antibody with a newly described technique, the immunogold-silver stain, to produce a method for rapid characterization of basal cell carcinoma cells. This method does not require the use of a fluorescence microscope and gives a very intense stain of the tumor cells. Tumor-containing tissue from 12 patients was stained and included 2 cases of morphealike basal cell carcinoma. All the tumors stained with VM-2 gold. Thus, staining with this technique may be helpful in diagnosing tumors of epithelial origin and may also find application in delineating residual tumor cells in microscopically controlled excision.