[Immunohistochemical studies of paraffin-embedded material of solitary cutaneous neurofibromas]

Nine cutaneous solitary neurofibromas have been studied using antibodies against vimentin, S 100 protein, lysozyme, myoglobin, factor VIII, neurofilament, neuron specific enolase, and myelin-associated antigen. Most of the tumor cells showed positive reactions to S 100 protein and vimentin with different patterns of staining. Whereas vimentin was detected in the cell periphery, S 100 protein was concentrated in the perinuclear area and distinct in the cytoplasm. About 60 percent of the tumor cells revealed positive staining for laminin. Myoglobin, neurofilament, and neuron specific enolase could not be proved in the tumor tissue. Our results suggest that the majority of neurofibroma cells may derive from Schwann's cells.