Value of combining detection of B72.3,carcinoembryonic antigen,calretinin and thromboxane in cytological differential diagnosis of serous effusion

Objective To explore the value of combining detection of B72.3,carcinoembryonic antigen,calretinin and thromboxane in cytological differential diagnosis of serous effusion. Methods A total of 123 effusion cytology specimens from 89 cases of metastatic adenocarcinoma,8 cases of malignant mesothelioma,and 26 cases of mesothelium were collected.All cases were confirmed histologically or clinically.Materials from all cases were prepared in hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining smears,and cell blocks,immunocytochemical staining was performed on cell block sections. Results For metastatic adenocarcinoma,the diagnostic sensitivity of B72.3 and carcinoembryonic antigen was 80.1% and 78.7% respectively,the diagnostic specificity was 97.1% and 97.1% respectively.If B72.3 and carcinoembryonic antigen were considered together,the positive rate was 95.5%(85/89).The sensitivity of calretinin and thromboxane in diagnosing malignant mesothelioma and reactive mesothelium was 88.2% and 79.4% respectively,the specificy was 95.5% and 91.0% respectively.If calretinin and thromboxane were considered together,the positive rate was 94.1%(32/34) and the positive rate of malignant mesotheliome was 100%(8/8). Conclusions The combination of B72.3,CEA,calretinin and thromboxane is a very useful panel in cytological differential diagnosis for metastatic adenocarcinoma and mesothelial cells in serous effusion.