Immunohistochemical study for PIVKA-II in hepatocellular carcinoma

An immunohistochemical study of PIVKA-II was performed in seventy cases with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on biopsy specimens obtained by using fine needles. Twenty nine specimens (41.4%) showed positive staining for PIVKA-II. No correlation was observed between tissue PIVKA-II staining and cell atypism. There were nine of 23 patients (39.1%) with positive staining for PIVKA-II in small liver cancer, although plasma PIVKA-II level was elevated only in one patient (4.3%). In an immunoelectron microscopic study reaction products for PIVKA-II were demonstrated in the endoplasmic reticulum of carcinoma cells. These findings suggest that PIVKA-II is produced in HCC cells and moreover an immunohistochemical study for PIVKA-II is useful for histological diagnosis of small liver cancer.