Utility of special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) immunohistochemistry as a marker for secondary perianal...

A panel-based approach using immunohistochemistry (IHC) is currently used for subtyping perianal Paget disease (PPD) in the absence of a synchronous neoplasm. Special AT-rich Sequence Binding Protein 2 (SATB2) has been established as a sensitive and specific marker for lower gastrointestinal tract carcinomas. We evaluated its performance as a marker of secondary PPD. A panel of IHCs including CK7, CK20, GCDFP-15, CDX2, and SATB2 were performed on fifteen cases of PPD (identified between 1991-2001) and seven cases of primary vulvar Paget disease with perianal involvement. Eight cases (53%) were classified as secondary PPD based on the presence of a synchronous (n = 7) or a metachronous neoplasm (n = 1). There was no differential staining for CK7 (positive in 7/7 primary vs. 7/8 secondary PPD; P = 1.00) and CK20 (positive in 4/7 primary vs. 8/8 secondary PPD; P = .08). GCDFP-15 was positive in 5/7 cases of primary PPD while negative in all cases of secondary PPD (P = .01). CDX2 was positive in all cases of secondary PPD (P = .001) while SATB2 was positive in 7/8 cases of secondary PPD (P = .01). Both CDX2 and SATB2 were positive in 1/7 cases of primary PPD. The addition of an IHC panel in conjunction with clinical/imaging findings can help definitively classify PPD as either primary or secondary in most cases. We show that SATB2 has comparable performance to CDX2 and can be a helpful additional tool.