Cervical adenocarcinomas express markers common to gastric, intestinal, and pancreatobiliary epithelial cells

Frequency and pattern of expression of eight markers of gastric, intestinal, and pancreatobiliary duct epithelial cells have been investigated by histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques in 85 cases of cervical adenocarcinomas. M1, a mucin antigen, and Cathepsin E (CaE), an aspartic proteinase, markers of normal gastric superficial/foveolar epithelial cells, are expressed in 40 and 55 tumors, respectively. Periodic acid-concanavalin A-reactive mucin or Pepsinogen (PG) II, markers of gastric mucus neck and pyloric gland cells, are found in 24 tumors, 13 of which also express M1 and CaE. CAR-5 and M3SI, markers of intestinal mucin, are expressed in 68 and 12 tumors and DU-PAN-2, marker of normal pancreatobiliary duct cells, is found in 46 tumors. All but two tumors express at least one of the eight markers studied, none express PG I, marker of gastric chief cells. The different histologic subtypes of cervical adenocarcinomas expressed to a variable degree both gastrointestinal and pancreatobiliary markers. Only endocervical type tumors, however, showed the full spectrum of mucosal pyloric type differentiation, including the expression of PGII which is not present in any other histotype. A correlation between expression of gastroenteropancreatic markers and tumor grade is not apparent in our series.