A histochemical study of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract

Histochemical examinations, mainly keratin staining, three types of antibodies including polyclonal, KL-1 and PKK-1, were performed on combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinomas (9 cases), hepatocellular carcinomas (21 cases), intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinomas (11 cases) and normal liver (5 cases). "Mixed type, subtype" was added to Allen's classification of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinomas, two cases corresponded to the additional subtype. Intracellular keratin staining patterns were classified into four types, and intracellular keratin localizations of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinomas, hepatocellular carcinomas and cholangiocellular carcinomas were clarified. In the intermingled area of the mixed type, there was an admixture of the tumor cells showing hepatocelluar carcinomatous and cholangiocellular carcinomatous keratin patterns, respectively.