Laminin-5 gamma2 chain expression facilitates detection of invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Because it has been suggested that laminin-5 can be used as a sensitive marker for epithelial cell invasion, specimens from patients with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix with a previous history of preinvasive lesions were evaluated by a newly developed monoclonal antibody directed against the gamma2 chain of laminin-5. Thirty-two archival paraffin specimens consisting of the matched preinvasive and invasive lesions from 15 women were evaluated to determine whether gamma2 chain laminin-5 staining was present in lesions that progressed to invasive cancer. With the exception of one tumor (a small cell nonkeratinizing squamous carcinoma), all squamous cell carcinomas exhibited positive staining. Five of 17 preinvasive lesions also were immunoreactive for the laminin-5 protein. A blinded histologic reevaluation revealed invasion or lesions suspicious for invasion in four of five preinvasive lesions. Our findings suggest that laminin-5 determined by a monoclonal antibody facilitates the identification of invasive lesions that are difficult or impossible to identify on routinely stained histologic sections.