Histological staining for the diagnosis of mesothelioma

The histological diagnosis of mesothelioma may be difficult, especially when only a small biopsy is available. The epithelial form of mesothelioma can closely resemble an adenocarcinoma, so much so that it is often difficult or impossible to distinguish between them by light microscopy. This paper examines the results of staining 30 cases of the epithelial form of mesothelioma by various techniques for mucus. The slides were evaluated according to the intensity and extent of staining, the color of the reaction, the location of the staining (intra- or extra-cellular), and the reproducibility and reliability of the technique.