Immunostaining for human herpesvirus 8 latent nuclear antigen-1 helps distinguish kaposi sarcoma from its mimickers

• Published in: American journal of clinical pathology 2004-03, Vol.121 (3), p.335-342
• Main Authors: CHEUK, Wah, WONG, Kathy O. Y, WONG, Cesar S. C, DINKEL, J. E, BEN-DOR, David, CHAN, John K. C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Biological and medical sciences; Dermatology; Diagnosis, Differential; Herpesvirus 8, Human - isolation & purification; Human herpesvirus 8; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Male; Medical sciences; Nuclear Proteins - biosynthesis; Nuclear Proteins - immunology; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Phosphoproteins - biosynthesis; Phosphoproteins - immunology; Sarcoma, Kaposi - diagnosis; Sarcoma, Kaposi - virology; Sensitivity and Specificity; Skin Diseases - diagnosis; Tumors of the skin and soft tissue. Premalignant lesions
• ISSN: 0002-9173; 1943-7722
• DOI: 10.1309/B8TC0LBVH8XY5MFV

We assessed the usefulness of a mouse monoclonal antibody (13B10) against human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) latent nuclear antigen-1 (LNA-1) in diagnosis of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) and for distinguishing it from various mimickers by studying 50 cases of KS and 53 mimickers (angiosarcoma, 15; kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, 6; spindle cell hemangioma, 3; reactive angioendotheliomatosis, 3; bacillary angiomatosis, 4; acroangiomatous dematitis, 2; microvenular hemangioma, 2; hobnail hemangioma, 2; pyogenic granuloma, 5; dermatofibroma, 8; arteriovenous hemangioma, 1; verrucous hemangioma, 1; nonspecific vascular proliferation, 1) from patients with or without acquired HIV infection. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections. All 50 cases of KS were positive for HHV-8 LNA-1, with immunolocalization in the nuclei of the spindle cells and cells lining the primitive and thin-walled vascular channels, whereas all 53 mimickers (including 4 lesions from HIV-positive patients) tested negative. The results idicate that positive immunostaining for HHV-8 LNA- 1 exhibits high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of KS and is, thus, useful for distinguishing it from the mimickers.