VS38 immunostaining in neuroendocrine tumours

VS38 was originally described as a marker of neoplastic and non-neoplastic plasma cells. We recently described its immunoreactivity with melanocytic lesion. The aim of the present study was to investigate the reactivity of VS38 with various neuroendocrine tumours. Using paraffin sections of routinely processed archival tissue we found that 72% of 50 neuroendocrine tumours tested showed immunohistochemical positivity for VS38. A wide spectrum of neuroendocrine tumours were positive. Use of a panel of markers and awareness of the lack of specificity of VS38 will avoid misdiagnosis, particularly when neuroendocrine tumours and other lesions which react immunohistochemically with this antibody are located at unusual sites and exhibit plasmacytoid features.