HEA 125 and Ber EP4: two monoclonal anti-epithelial, non-cytokeratin antibodies distinguishing metastatic carcinomas from glial tumors.

Since some monoclonal anti-cytokeratin antibodies also react with glial tumors to a relatively high degree, an immunohistochemical study was performed to examine the reaction of 40 glial tumors and neuroepithelial tumors with glial differentiation to the monoclonal anti-epithelial non-cytokeratin antibodies HEA 125 and Ber EP4. Seven of these tumors were cytokeratin-positive neoplasms (6 gliosarcomas and 1 ependymoma). In addition, 20 metastatic carcinomas were investigated. All glial tumors showed a negative reaction to HEA 125 and Ber EP4, whereas 19 of the 20 metastatic carcinomas were positive with these two monoclonal antibodies. HEA 125 and Ber EP4 thus can be used as additional markers especially in cytokeratin-negative small cell carcinomas.