Ferritin immunohistochemical localization in normal and neoplastic colonic mucosa

High levels of ferritin have been detected in serum and tumoral extracts of gastrointestinal neoplasms. However, its histological localization is not well known. An immunoperoxidase technique (PAP) was used for detecting ferritin in 30 colorectal carcinomas, 20 polyps and 8 cases of non-neoplastic mucosae. Ferritin staining was detected in stromal cells (98%) much more than in epithelial cells (21%). Connective cells were positive in 5 cases of normal mucosae (62%), 19 polyps (95%) and all carcinomas (100%). The number of positive cells gradually rose from normal mucosa to carcinoma with an intermediate score in adenomas. However, no relation could be found between the stromal ferritin score and dysplasia in polyps. Likewise, no relation was found between the stromal ferritin score and the differentiation grade, invasion or metastases in carcinomas. The positive epithelial pattern seen in 12 cases (21%) suggests non-specific staining due to passive diffusion from the stroma. Thus, these immunohistochemical findings suggest that in colonic neoplasms, ferritin could be a tumor marker produced mainly by stromal cell reaction more than by the epithelial cells.