Immunocytochemical panel for distinguishing between carcinoma and reactive mesothelial cells in body cavity fluids.

The morphological evaluation of cytological specimens from body cavity fluids presents difficulties in the differential diagnosis between benign reactive mesothelial (RM) cells and adenocarcinoma (AC) or malignant mesothelioma (MM). The aim of our study was to investigate whether a panel of five different antibodies can offer reliable markers in the differential diagnosis of RM, AC, and MM in serous effusions. A total of 134 cytological specimens of serous effusions from 80 ACs, 50 RMs, and 4 MMs, previously stained with Papanicolaou stain, were selected retrospectively from our files and stained with anti-human mesothelial cell (HBME-1), calretinin, epithelial specific antigen (MOC-31), Ber-EP4, and BG8.