[Phenotype study of varieties of carcinomas originating in the oro-pharyngo-laryngeal mucosa. Anatomo-clinical considerations].

An immunohistological analysis with a panel of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies was performed in 20 cases of squamous cell carcinoma originating in the oral cavity, oropharynx and larynx. The epithelial antigens were detected in all cases with variable patterns of positivity: cytokeratins and epithelial membrane antigen were positive in a high number of neoplastic cells in the carcinomas with a high grade of differentiation, whereas a lesser number of positive cells was observed in the poorly differentiated carcinomas. On the contrary the tissue polypeptide antigen was detected in a considerable number of neoplastic cells in the poorly differentiated carcinomas as well as in the fields with basal and cylindric cells. Mesenchymal antigens were negative in all tumors, except one case with pseudosarcomatous patterns, which was vimentin-positive. The detection of an immunohistochemical spectrum of squamous cell carcinomas may give further information on the biological characteristics, and consent to identify subtypes with a different histogenesis.