Sciot R, Dal Cin P, De Vos R, Van Damme B, De Wever I, Van den Berghe H, Desmet V J
Department of Pathology, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
Histopathology. 1993 Nov;23(5):439-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1993.tb00492.x.
A typical case of alveolar soft-part sarcoma was examined using ultrastructural, immunohistochemical and cytogenetic methods. Immunohistochemical stains were performed on frozen sections and showed strong desmin expression with the three anti-desmin antibodies used. In addition, the tumour cells were weakly positive for vimentin and myosin. Neural markers were negative. Chromosomal analysis showed consistent involvement of 17q25--an abnormality which has been reported in another alveolar soft-part sarcoma. The histogenesis of alveolar soft-part sarcoma is still debatable but our findings support a myogenic origin. The finding of an apparently identical chromosomal abnormality in two of three thus far examined cases of alveolar soft-part sarcoma is of interest and must await further confirmation, but it may result in the identification of a chromosomal marker for this enigmatic tumour and thus pave the way for further molecular elucidation.
