AIM: To review five ovarian carcinomas with varying degrees of neuroendocrine differentiation (ND) using an immunohistochemical study focused on the relationship with morphological features. METHODS: ND was immunohistochemically analyzed using 21 antibodies by an indirect immunoperoxidase method, and ploidy pattern was analyzed using paraffin sections. RESULTS: The tumors were divided according to tumor cell size into 'small-sized' for case 1, 'intermediate-sized' for cases 2 and 3, and 'large-sized' for cases 4 and 5. Expressions of neuroendocrine markers and argyrophil reaction tended to be strengthened as tumor cell size increased. Cases 1, 2 and 3 showed diploid pattern and cases 4 and 5 showed aneuploid pattern. CONCLUSION: ND of ovarian carcinomas is closely related to morphological features represented by the cell size. Therefore, ovarian carcinomas with ND should be defined because the disease entity is not successfully integrated irrespective of the highly malignant potential.
AIM: To review five ovarian carcinomas with varying degrees of neuroendocrine differentiation (ND) using an immunohistochemical study focused on the relationship with morphological features. METHODS:ND was immunohistochemically analyzed using 21 antibodies by an indirect immunoperoxidase method, and ploidy pattern was analyzed using paraffin sections. RESULTS: The tumors were divided according to tumor cell size into 'small-sized' for case 1, 'intermediate-sized' for cases 2 and 3, and 'large-sized' for cases 4 and 5. Expressions of neuroendocrine markers and argyrophil reaction tended to be strengthened as tumor cell size increased. Cases 1, 2 and 3 showed diploid pattern and cases 4 and 5 showed aneuploid pattern. CONCLUSION:ND of ovarian carcinomas is closely related to morphological features represented by the cell size. Therefore, ovarian carcinomas with ND should be defined because the disease entity is not successfully integrated irrespective of the highly malignant potential.