Patterns of antigen expression in hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma in childhood

Two hepatocellular carcinomas and six hepatoblastomas were examined for the presence of 13 antigens using immunoperoxidase, avidin-biotin, staining techniques. Primary antibodies were directed against alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), lysozyme (LYS), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neuron specific enolase (NSE), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), hepatitis B surface antigen (HbSA), lactoferrin (LF), desmin (DES), vimentin (VIM), and keratin (KER). Except for HbSA, the antigen staining pattern was unable to differentiate between hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Both neoplasms where positive for AFP, AAT, CEA, EMA, and KER; however, neither stained for GFAP, NSE, LYS, LF, HCG, or DES. Vimentin was weakly positive in those hepatoblastomas where mesenchymal tissue was present in the tumor. Only the tissue adjacent to hepatocellular carcinomas stained positively for HbSA and correlated with the elevated serum levels of HbSA.