Evaluation of new monoclonal antibody; Ber-EP4, for the differentiation hepatocellular carcinomas from metastatic liver cancers

The new mouse monoclonal antibody: Ber-EP4 reacts with two glycoproteins of 34 and 49 kD present on the surface and in the cytoplasm of all epithelial cells, except the superficial layers of squamous epithelia, hepatocytes, and gastric parietal cells. In present study, 164 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded various cancers were examined for immunoreactivity with Ber-EP4 by means of a sensitive immunoperoxidase technique. In the liver, Ber-EP4 intensely labeled with the bile duct, but not normal hepatocytes. Characteristically, Ber-EP4 reacted with all tested carcinomas originated from colorectum, stomach, biliary duct, pancreas, thyroid gland, ovary kidney, breast, and lung, but did not react with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Further AFP-producing adenocarcinoma with hepatoid feature was positive for this antibody. So, Ber-EP4 might prove useful for the differentiation HCC from other matastatic liver tumors, especially HCC resembling carcinomas, and also for the diagnosis of bile duct related diseases.