A critical appraisal of the immunohistochemical detection of the c-myc oncogene product in colorectal cancer

Abstract

Expression of c-myc was studied immunohistochemically in 100 colorectal carcinomas, using a monoclonal antibody, Myc 1-6E10, which is purported to recognize the oncoprotein (p62c-myc) in paraffin-embedded material. In normal epithelium, maturing crypt cells and terminally differentiated surface cells were positive, and proliferating basal crypt cells negative. All carcinomas stained positively, but intensity was independent of histological differentiation, Dukes' stage, DNA ploidy and survival. Staining was predominantly cytoplasmic despite the suspected nuclear location of p62c-myc and there was considerable staining of fibroblasts. When staining was compared in frozen and paraffin-embedded sections fixed in different ways, different patterns were observed. Acetone-fixed frozen sections exhibited weak nuclear and cytoplasmic staining or were negative. In formol-saline fixed frozen sections, there was stronger predominantly nuclear staining. In paraffin-embedded sections staining was predominantly cytoplasmic. This study suggests that c-myc expression is enhanced in the majority of colorectal carcinomas and although independent of clinical behaviour, may be a common event in malignant transformation. However, since staining is affected by fixation and processing, data obtained using Myc 1-6E10 on routinely processed specimens should be interpreted with caution.