GATA3: a multispecific but potentially useful marker in surgical pathology: a systematic analysis of 2500 epithelial and nonepithelial tumors

Our plain-English summary of GATA3: a multispecific but potentially useful marker in surgical pathology: a systematic analysis of 2500 epithelial and nonepithelial tumors, by M. Miettinen, P.A. McCue, M. Sarlomo-Rikala, et al (The American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 2014).

The study

• Authors: M. Miettinen, P.A. McCue, M. Sarlomo-Rikala, J. Rys, P. Czapiewski, K. Wazny, R. Langfort, P. Waloszczyk, W. Biernat, J. Lasota, Z. Wang
• Journal: The American Journal of Surgical Pathology
• Published: 2014;38(1):13-22
• Cited by: 539 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

GATA3 is a transcription factor important in the differentiation of breast epithelia, urothelia, and subsets of T lymphocytes. It has been suggested to be useful in the evaluation of carcinomas of mammary or urothelial origin or metastatic carcinomas, but its distribution in normal and neoplastic tissues is incompletely mapped. In this study, we examined normal developing and adult tissues and 2040 epithelial and 460 mesenchymal or neuroectodermal neoplasms for GATA3 expression to explore its diagnostic value in surgical pathology, using monoclonal antibody (clone L50-823) and Leica Bond automated immunohistochemistry. GATA3 was expressed in trophoblast, fetal and adult epidermis, adult mammary and some salivary gland and sweat gland ductal epithelia, urothelia, distal nephron in developing and adult tissues, some prostatic basal cells, and subsets of T lymphocytes. It was expressed stronger in fetal than in adult mesothelia and was absent in respiratory and gastrointestinal epithelia. In epithelial neoplasms, GATA3 was expressed in >90% of primary and metastatic ductal and lobular carcinomas of the breast, urothelial, and cutaneous basal cell carcinomas and trophoblastic and endodermal sinus tumors. In metastatic breast carcinomas, it was more sensitive than GCDFP. Among squamous cell carcinomas, the expression was highest in the skin (81%) and lower in cervical (33%), laryngeal (16%), and pulmonary tumors (12%). Common positivity was found in skin adnexal tumors (100%), mesothelioma (58%), salivary gland (43%), and pancreatic (37%) ductal carcinomas, whereas frequency of expression in adenocarcinomas of lung, stomach, colon, endometrium, ovary, and prostate was <10%. Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma was a unique renal tumor with frequent positivity (51%), whereas oncocytomas were positive in 17% of cases but other types only rarely. Among mesenchymal and neuroectodermal tumors, paragangliomas were usually positive, which sets these tumors apart from epithelial neuroendocrine tumors. Mesenchymal tumors were only sporadically positive, except epithelia of biphasic synovial sarcomas. GATA3 is a useful marker in the characterization of not only mammary and urothelial but also renal and germ cell tumors, mesotheliomas, and paragangliomas. The multiple specificities of GATA3 should be taken into account when using this marker to detect metastatic mammary or urothelial carcinomas.

In plain English

This study measured how often different tumors stain for GATA3, a protein that pathologists can detect in tissue samples to help tell tumor types apart. The authors stained 2040 epithelial tumors and 460 mesenchymal or neuroectodermal tumors, plus normal tissues, using one antibody (clone L50-823). The study did not examine asbestos exposure. GATA3 was found in 37 of 64 malignant mesotheliomas (58%), in both epithelial and sarcomatoid types. In the positive cases, 10% to 100% of tumor cells stained (median 75%). Normal omental peritoneal mesothelium in adults was negative, but reactive mesothelia were positive. By comparison, 6 of 71 lung adenocarcinomas were positive. Most primary breast ductal carcinomas (163/178, 92%) and most urothelial carcinomas (49/54) were positive, and positivity also appeared in a range of other tumor types. The authors concluded that GATA3 is useful in characterizing several tumor types, including mesotheliomas. They added that its multiple specificities should be taken into account when using it to detect metastatic breast or urothelial carcinomas.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: laboratory immunohistochemistry study of tumor and normal tissue samples arranged in multitissue blocks
• Who was studied: 2040 epithelial tumors and 460 mesenchymal and neuroectodermal tumors from surgical specimens, plus normal adult, fetal and embryonic tissues; where and when the specimens were collected is not stated
• Exposure: No asbestos or other exposure was studied. The variable examined was staining for the GATA3 protein with a monoclonal antibody, clone L50-823.
• Main results:
  • Malignant mesothelioma: 37 of 64 cases (58%) were GATA3 positive
  • Positivity was seen in both epithelial and sarcomatoid mesotheliomas
  • In positive mesotheliomas, the share of positive tumor cells ranged from 10% to 100%, with a median of 75%
  • Normal adult omental peritoneal mesothelium was negative, but reactive mesothelia were positive
  • Lung adenocarcinomas: 6 of 71 were GATA3 positive
  • Primary ductal carcinomas of the breast: 163 of 178 (92%) positive; their metastases: 49 of 51 (96%) positive
  • Urothelial carcinomas: 49 of 54 were extensively positive
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that GATA3 is a useful marker for characterizing mammary and urothelial tumors, and also renal and germ cell tumors, mesotheliomas and paragangliomas. They added that its multiple specificities should be taken into account when using it to detect metastatic mammary or urothelial carcinomas.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: GATA3, Pathology, Carcinoma, Neoplasm, Monoclonal Antibody, Immunohistochemistry, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Mesothelioma.

Related studies

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• Evaluation of androgen receptor and GATA binding protein 3 as immunohistochemical markers in the diagnosis of metastatic breast carcinoma to the lung — Y. Hattori, A. Yoshida, et al. (2015)
• The potential utility of GATA binding protein 3 for diagnosis of malignant pleural mesotheliomas — S. Prabhakaran, A. Hocking, et al. (2020)
• GATA3 Immunohistochemistry for Distinguishing Sarcomatoid and Desmoplastic Mesothelioma From Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Lung — K.B. Berg, A. Churg (2017)
• Claudin-4 immunohistochemistry is a useful pan-carcinoma marker for serous effusion specimens — M. Vojtek, M.D. Walsh, et al. (2019)

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