Immunohistochemical markers specific for primary cardiac tumors

Abstract

Introduction. Immunohistochemistry provides useful information in the study of tissues and cells, using antibodies to identify antigens of the examined tissue samples. In the last decades, special attention has been given to immunohistochemical markers, due to their specificity and high sensitivity in identifying the histological origin of tumors. This is useful in performing differential diagnosis and establishing the definitive diagnosis of cardiac tumors, which facilitates the determination of treatment tactics and the prognosis of pathology. Aim of the study. In this paper, we aim to analyze the literature and to make a synthesis of the immunohistochemistry particularities in the study of cardiac tumors, namely the identification of the immunohistochemical markers characteristic for each histological type of cardiac tumor. Materials and methods. We reviewed the pertinent literature by a selective PubMed search on the terms “cardiac tumor”, “immunohistochemistry”, “immunohistochemical markers”. We analyzed not only various scientific articles, but also specialty books by renowned authors. Conclusions. Each cardiac tumor has its immunohistochemical markers depending on the tissue from which it is formed. Knowing these markers facilitates identification of the studied tissue. Our review study revealed that unlike benign tumors, malignancies exhibit positivity for cell proliferation markers (Ki-67, PCNA). It is important to mention that the use of immunohistochemical markers of cardiac tumors allows performing differential diagnosis, the establishment of a definitive diagnosis, the right choice of treatment and the determination of the prognosis of the pathology.