http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23087328

J Clin Pathol. 2012 Oct 19. [Epub ahead of print]

CD24: a potential new marker in differentiating malignant mesothelioma from pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

Pinato DJ, Nya P, Sharma R, Mauri FA.

Source

Department of Experimental Medicine, Imperial Center for Translational and Experimental Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The differential diagnosis between malignant mesothelioma (MM) and metastatic lung adenocarcinoma (MLA) often relies on immunohistochemical studies, with no individual immunomarker holding satisfactory discrimination ability.

METHODS:

We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of CD24 immunoreactivity on 134 patients including 69 cases of MM and 65 MLA.

RESULTS:

The expression of CD24 favoured MLA, with 57/65 cases showing positive cytoplasmic staining compared with 9/69 MM (p<0.001), whose immunopositivity pattern was prevalently membranous (7/9 cases).

CONCLUSIONS:

CD24 positivity can accurately discriminate MM from MLA. Prospective studies are warranted to clarify whether CD24 could integrate with other immunomarkers to facilitate the diagnosis of mesothelial malignancies.