Vet Pathol Download to Citation Manager
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (7)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Barger, A.
Right arrow Articles by Hoffmann, W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Barger, A.
Right arrow Articles by Hoffmann, W.
Vet Pathol 42:161-165 (2005)
© 2005 American College of Veterinary Pathologists

Use of Alkaline Phosphatase Staining to Differentiate Canine Osteosarcoma from Other Vimentin-positive Tumors

A. Barger, R. Graca, K. Bailey, J. Messick, L.-P. de Lorimier, T. Fan and W. Hoffmann

Departments of Veterinary Pathology (AB, RG, KB, JM, WH) and Veterinary Clinical Medicine (LPD, TF), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

Aspiration of lytic bone lesions is an excellent diagnostic test in the initial evaluation of primary bone neoplasia. However, cytologically, it can be difficult to differentiate osteosarcoma (OSA) from other bone neoplasms, including fibrosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, synovial cell sarcoma, and plasma cell myeloma. The purpose of this study is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining to differentiate OSA from other tumors that express vimentin by immunocytochemistry or immunohistochemistry. ALP is a hydrolytic enzyme present in multiple tissues including liver, kidney, intestine, placenta, and bone. Hypothetically, neoplasms actively producing bone should be specifically positive for ALP staining. Unstained, cytologic specimens were incubated for 8–10 minutes with nitroblue tetrazolium chloride/5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate toluidine salt–phosphatase substrate. A positive reaction stains the membrane of the cells gray to black. Samples were counterstained with a Romanowsky's stain to determine whether the sample was of representative cellularity. A total of 61 vimentin-positive neoplasms have been evaluated and confirmed histopathologically. Tumors that expressed vimentin and were positive for ALP included 33 OSAs, one multi-lobular tumor of bone, one amelanotic melanoma, and one chondrosarcoma. Tumors that expressed vimentin and were negative for ALP included chondrosarcomas (three of four), multiple fibrosarcomas, and multiple synovial cell sarcomas. The sensitivity is 100%, and the specificity is 89%. In conclusion, ALP appears to be a highly sensitive and fairly specific marker in the diagnosis of OSA.

Key words: Alkaline phosphatase; bone; cytology; osteosarcoma.

Request reprints from Dr. A. Barger, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, 288 SAC, 1008 Hazelwood Drive, Urbana, IL (USA). E-mail: abarger{at}uiuc.edu






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2005 by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.