MHC class II expression--a new tool to assess dignity in adrenocortical tumours

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
C MarxS R Bornstein

Abstract

One in seventy randomly selected individuals is supposed to host an adrenal mass. The increasing number of incidentally detected adrenocortical adenomas requires the effective and reliable evaluation of dignity. So far this has been determined through a difficult multi-parametric analysis. Since MHC class II antigens are expressed in the normal adrenal cortex with a restriction to the zona reticularis, we examined 28 adrenocortical incidentalomas, 10 adenomas, 13 cortical carcinomas, 2 metastases, 10 controls as well as the adrenocortical carcinoma cell line NCI-H295 immunohistochemically for the expression of HLA class II antigens. We showed, that the majority of the adenomas still express class II antigens, whereas the expression is abrogated in all carcinomas examined. Our results indicate, that the detection of HLA class II positive tumour cells excludes malignancy. Therefore, MHC class II antigens may serve as a novel tumour marker in the evaluation of dignity in adrenocortical tumours. These findings could change the strategy for the assessment of adrenal masses.

Citations

Sep 1, 2009·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·C G ZieglerS R Bornstein
May 18, 1999·Archives of Disease in Childhood·O D WolthersC G Brook
Apr 15, 2004·Endocrine Reviews·Georg MansmannStefan R Bornstein
May 7, 1998·Endocrine Reviews·M Ehrhart-BornsteinG P Vinson
Apr 3, 2001·European Journal of Clinical Investigation·C MarxG W Wolkersdörfer

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