Utility of PAX8 mouse monoclonal antibody in the diagnosis of thyroid, thymic, pleural and lung tumours: a comparison with polyclonal PAX8 antibody

Our plain-English summary of Utility of PAX8 mouse monoclonal antibody in the diagnosis of thyroid, thymic, pleural and lung tumours: a comparison with polyclonal PAX8 antibody, by A. Toriyama, T. Mori, S. Sekine, et al (Histopathology, 2014).

The study

• Authors: A. Toriyama, T. Mori, S. Sekine, A. Yoshida, O. Hino, K. Tsuta
• Journal: Histopathology
• Published: 2014;65(4):465-72
• Cited by: 49 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Aims: The purpose of this study was to compare the immunohistochemical staining profiles of PAX8-polyclonal, PAX8-monoclonal, PAX5-monoclonal and PAX6-monoclonal antibodies in several histological types of primary thoracic and thyroid tumours. In addition, we analysed PAX8 mRNA expression by using in-situ hybridization.

Methods And Results: We compared polyclonal PAX8 and monoclonal PAX8, PAX5 and PAX6 antibodies in 962 samples (687 lung carcinomas, 40 malignant pleural mesotheliomas, 138 thymic tumours and 97 thyroid tumours) using the tissue microarray technique. Among thyroid tumours, the monoclonal and polyclonal PAX8 antibodies showed a high positive rate (98.0%). Of 167 polyclonal PAX8 antibody-positive tumours, except for thyroid tumours, 54 cases tested positive for PAX5 and/or PAX6 (31 lung carcinomas and 23 thymic tumours). No PAX8 mRNA expression was detected using RNAscope (in-situ hybridization technique) other than in thyroid tumours. A portion of polyclonal PAX8 antibody-positive tumours showed cross-reactivity for PAX5 or PAX6 protein.

Conclusions: Monoclonal PAX8 antibody showed high specificity to thyroid tumours and was superior to the polyclonal antibody.

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

In plain English

This laboratory study from the National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, compared antibody stains for PAX8, a protein marker used to identify thyroid tumours. The authors stained 962 archived samples: 687 lung carcinomas, 40 malignant pleural mesotheliomas, 138 thymic tumours and 97 thyroid tumours. The article does not address asbestos exposure. A polyclonal and a monoclonal PAX8 antibody each stained 95 of 97 thyroid tumours (98.0%). The monoclonal antibody stained none of the other tumours. The polyclonal antibody stained 55 of 687 lung carcinomas, 91 of 102 thymomas and 21 of 36 thymic carcinomas. Neither PAX8 antibody stained any of the 40 mesotheliomas, though PAX6 was positive in 5 (12.5%). Of 167 non-thyroid tumours positive with the polyclonal antibody, 54 also stained for the related proteins PAX5 and/or PAX6, which the authors attributed partly to cross-reactivity. PAX8 mRNA was tested in 244 polyclonal-positive tumours (18 more failed a control test). It was found in 85 of 89 thyroid tumours and none of 155 non-thyroid tumours. The authors concluded that the monoclonal antibody was highly specific for thyroid tumours and superior to the polyclonal antibody.

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 comparison of immunohistochemical antibody stains (plus mRNA in situ hybridization) on archived tumour samples arranged in tissue microarrays
• Who was studied: 962 archived tumour cases from the pathology files of the National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo: 687 lung carcinomas, 40 malignant pleural mesotheliomas (28 epithelioid, 12 biphasic), 138 thymic tumours (102 thymomas, 36 thymic carcinomas) and 97 thyroid tumours. Collection dates were not given.
• Exposure: No asbestos or other environmental or occupational exposure was studied. The study compared four laboratory antibodies (polyclonal PAX8, monoclonal PAX8, monoclonal PAX5, monoclonal PAX6) applied to tumour tissue.
• Main results:
  • In thyroid tumours, the monoclonal PAX8 antibody was positive in 95 of 97 cases (98.0%), the same rate as the polyclonal PAX8 antibody.
  • The monoclonal PAX8 antibody stained none of the lung, mesothelioma or thymic tumours.
  • The polyclonal PAX8 antibody was positive in 55 of 687 lung carcinomas (8.0%).
  • The polyclonal PAX8 antibody was positive in 91 of 102 thymomas (89.2%) and in 21 of 36 thymic carcinomas (58.3%).
  • None of the 40 malignant pleural mesotheliomas was positive for polyclonal PAX8.
  • PAX6 was positive in 5 of the 40 malignant pleural mesotheliomas (12.5%).
  • Of 167 non-thyroid tumours positive with polyclonal PAX8, 54 (32.3%) were also positive for PAX5 and/or PAX6.
  • PAX8 mRNA was tested only in polyclonal PAX8-positive tumours. Of 262 such cases, 244 had adequate material: 89 thyroid tumours and 155 non-thyroid tumours.
  • Of the 244 tested cases, 85 (34.8%) were positive for PAX8 mRNA. All 85 were thyroid tumours, so no non-thyroid tumour was positive.
  • Compared with the polyclonal antibody, the monoclonal PAX8 antibody stained less intensely and stained a smaller percentage of cells.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the monoclonal PAX8 antibody showed high specificity for thyroid tumours and was superior to the polyclonal antibody.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors noted that mRNA expression does not always match protein expression.
  • 18 of the 262 polyclonal PAX8-positive cases were negative for the control mRNA and were treated as insufficient material for mRNA testing.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Monoclonal Antibody, Immunohistochemistry, Carcinoma, Pleural Mesothelioma.

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