S-100 protein immunostaining in the differential diagnosis of chondroblastoma

In an effort to investigate the utility of immunostaining for S-100 protein in the differential diagnosis of chondroblastoma, the expression of S-100 protein in nine chondroblastomas was compared with that in six giant cell tumors, six aneurysmal bone cysts, four giant cell reparative granulomas, six cases of fibrous dysplasia, two cases of osteitis fibrosa cystica, two nonossifying fibromas, and one clear cell chondrosarcoma. Five enchondromas, three typical chondrosarcomas, and one mesenchymal chondrosarcoma were also included as control tumors. The proliferating stromal cells in seven of the nine chondroblastomas stained for S-100 protein, as did the lacunar chondrocytes in all of the enchondromas and chondrosarcomas and rare stromal cells in the clear cell chondrosarcoma. In contrast, none of the other tumefactive bone lesions included in this study demonstrated S-100 protein immunoreactivity. These results suggest that immunohistochemical assessment of S-100 protein may be a method for diagnostically separating chondroblastoma from pathologic entities that could be histologically confused with it in the presence of limited biopsy material. However, clear cell chondrosarcoma would appear to represent an exception to this general statement.