B72.3 (BRST-3)

Immunohistochemical expression

B72.3 is a monoclonal antibody directed against a high molecular weight glycoprotein known as tumour-associated glycoprotein-72 (TAG-72).   The antigen is expressed in a limited range of benign tissue but a wide range of adenocarcinomas.

Diagnostic utility

The antigen is usually expressed by adenocarcinomas, but is usually negative in mesotheliomas.

 

adenocarcinoma

mesothelioma

Lafebvre 19851

17/20

2/10

Szpak 19862

21/22

9/19

Warnock 19889

43/43

3/38

Ordonez 19893

19/23

1/19

Tickman 199010 (study on cell blocks from serous fluid)

45/69

0/2

Wick 199011

43/52

0/51

Wick4

38/43

0/41

McCaughey 199112

not studied

0/13

Nance 199113 (study on cell blocks from serous fluid)

15/26

0/1

Wirth 199114

15/20

24/50

Gaffey 199215

not studied

1/49

Brown 199316

93/103

0/34

Moch 199317

22/24

9/27

Dejmek 199418

15/20

13/55

Bailey 199619 (study on cell blocks from serous fluid)

10/11

0/5

Delahaya 199720 (study on cell blocks from serous fluid)

68/88

1/41

Riera 199721

170/211

2/57

 

Wilson 199722

8/9

1/21

Ordonez 199723

89/110

3/175

Ordonez 199824

39/45

0/35

Leers19988

17/21

0/20

Garcia-Prats 19987

10/18

0/40

Gonzalez-Lois 20015

9/12

4/44

Comin 20016

8/23

6/42

Ordonez 200325

42/50

0/60

 

Overall

81% (856/1063)

8% (79/949)

A systematic review of sixteen studies (consisting of 769 pulmonary adenocarcinomas and 700 epithelioid mesotheliomas) reported sensitivities and specificities of B72.3 for pulmonary adenocarcinoma of 80% and 93%26.

It may also be useful in the differentiation of non-small cell carcinomas from small cell carcinomas of the lung.

References

1 Lafebvre MP, Rodriquez F, Schlom J et al. The application of a monoclonal antiboy in the differentiation of benign and malignant mesothelial proliferaitons from adenocarcinomas. Lab Invest 1985;52:38A (abstract)

2 Szpak, C. A., Johnston, W. W., Roggli, V., Kolbeck, J., Lottich, S. C., Vollmer, R., Thor, A., Schlom, J. The diagnostic distinction between malignant mesothelioma of the pleura and adenocarcinoma of the lung as defined by a monoclonal antibody (B72.3). Am J Pathol 1986;122:252-260

3 Ordonez, N. G. The immunohistochemical diagnosis of mesothelioma. Differentiation of mesothelioma and lung adenocarcinoma. Am J Surg Pathol 1989;13:276-291.

4 Wick MR, Mills SE,Swanson PE Expression of "myelomonocytic" antigens in mesotheliomas and adenocarcinomas involving the serosal surfaces. Am J Clin Pathol 1990; 94:18-26

5 Gonzalez-Lois, C., Ballestin, C., Sotelo, M. T., Lopez-Rios, F., Garcia-Prats, M. D., Villena, V. Combined use of novel epithelial (MOC-31) and mesothelial (HBME-1) immunohistochemical markers for optimal first line diagnostic distinction between mesothelioma and metastatic carcinoma in pleura. Histopathology 2001;38:528-34.

6 Comin, C. E., Novelli, L., Boddi, V., Paglierani, M., Dini, S. Calretinin, thrombomodulin, CEA, and CD15: a useful combination of immunohistochemical markers for differentiating pleural epithelial mesothelioma from peripheral pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Hum Pathol 2001;32:529-536.

7 Garcia-Prats, M. D., Ballestin, C., Sotelo, T., Lopez-Encuentra, A., Mayordomo, J. I. A comparative evaluation of immunohistochemical markers for the differential diagnosis of malignant pleural tumours. Histopathology 1998;32:462-472.

8 Leers, M. P., Aarts, M. M., Theunissen, P. H. E-cadherin and calretinin: a useful combination of immunochemical markers for differentiation between mesothelioma and metastatic adenocarcinoma. Histopathology 1998;32:209-216.

9 Warnock, M. L., A. Stoloff, et al. (1988). "Differentiation of adenocarcinoma of the lung from mesothelioma. Periodic acid-Schiff, monoclonal antibodies B72.3, and Leu M1." Am J Pathol 133(1): 30-8.

10 Tickman, R. J., C. Cohen, et al. (1990). "Distinction between carcinoma cells and mesothelial cells in serous effusions. Usefulness of immunohistochemistry." Acta Cytol 34(4): 491-6.

11 Wick, M. R., T. Loy, et al. (1990). "Malignant epithelioid pleural mesothelioma versus peripheral pulmonary adenocarcinoma: a histochemical, ultrastructural, and immunohistologic study of 103 cases." Hum Pathol 21(7): 759-66.

12 McCaughey, W. T., T. V. Colby, et al. (1991). "Diagnosis of diffuse malignant mesothelioma: experience of a US/Canadian Mesothelioma Panel." Mod Pathol 4(3): 342-53.

13 Nance, K. V. and J. F. Silverman (1991). "Immunocytochemical panel for the identification of malignant cells in serous effusions." Am J Clin Pathol 95(6): 867-74.

14 Wirth, P. R., J. Legier, et al. (1991). "Immunohistochemical evaluation of seven monoclonal antibodies for differentiation of pleural mesothelioma from lung adenocarcinoma." Cancer 67(3): 655-62.

15 Gaffey, M. J., S. E. Mills, et al. (1992). "Immunoreactivity for BER-EP4 in adenocarcinomas, adenomatoid tumors, and malignant mesotheliomas." Am J Surg Pathol 16(6): 593-9.

16 Brown, R. W., G. M. Clark, et al. (1993). "Multiple-marker immunohistochemical phenotypes distinguishing malignant pleural mesothelioma from pulmonary adenocarcinoma [see comments]." Hum Pathol 24(4): 347-54.

17 Moch, H., M. Oberholzer, et al. (1993). "Diagnostic tools for differentiating between pleural mesothelioma and lung adenocarcinoma in paraffin embedded tissue. Part I: Immunohistochemical findings." Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histopathol 423(1): 19-27.

18 Dejmek, A. and A. Hjerpe (1994). "Immunohistochemical reactivity in mesothelioma and adenocarcinoma: a stepwise logistic regression analysis." Apmis 102(4): 255-64.

19 Bailey, M. E., R. W. Brown, et al. (1996). "Ber-EP4 for differentiating adenocarcinoma from reactive and neoplastic mesothelial cells in serous effusions. Comparison with carcinoembryonic antigen, B72.3 and Leu-M1." Acta Cytol 40(6): 1212-6.

20 Delahaye, M., F. van der Ham, et al. (1997). "Complementary value of five carcinoma markers for the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma, adenocarcinoma metastasis, and reactive mesothelium in serous effusions." Diagn Cytopathol 17(2): 115-20.

21 Riera, J. R., C. Astengo-Osuna, et al. (1997). "The immunohistochemical diagnostic panel for epithelial mesothelioma: a reevaluation after heat-induced epitope retrieval [see comments]." Am J Surg Pathol 21(12): 1409-19.

22 Wilson JD, Merino MJ, Harris C et al. Mesothelioma vs adenocarcinoma: does immunohistochemistry help? Lab Invest 1997;76:174A.

23 Ordonez, N. G. (1997). "The value of antibodies 44-3A6, SM3, HBME-1, and thrombomodulin in differentiating epithelial pleural mesothelioma from lung adenocarcinoma: a comparative study with other commonly used antibodies [see comments]." Am J Surg Pathol 21(12): 1399-408.

24 Ordonez, N. G. (1998). "Role of immunohistochemistry in distinguishing epithelial peritoneal mesotheliomas from peritoneal and ovarian serous carcinomas." Am J Surg Pathol 22(10): 1203-14.

25 Ordonez, N. G. (2003). "The immunohistochemical diagnosis of mesothelioma: a comparative study of epithelioid mesothelioma and lung adenocarcinoma." Am J Surg Pathol 27(8): 1031-51.

26 King JE, Thatcher N, Pickering CA, et al. Sensitivity and specificity of immunohistochemical markers used in the diagnosis of epithelioid mesothelioma: a detailed systematic analysis using published data. Histopathology 2006; 48:223-32

This page last revised 16.2.2006.

 

©SMUHT/PW Bishop