Comparison of elastic tissue stain with haematoxylin and eosin stain in the detection of venous invasion in colorectal carcinoma in the Sri Lankan setting

[摘要] Introduction and objective: Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer amongboth males and females in Sri Lanka. Venous invasion (VI) by the tumour is a well-recognizedindependent prognostic factor in CRC and a key high-risk factor that determines the need for adjuvanttherapy in stage II CRC. It is widely accepted that VI is under-recognised on haematoxylin and eosin(H&E)-stained tissue sections of the CRC resection specimens. The main objective of this study was toevaluate whether the VI detection rate on an elastic tissue stain (ETS) is superior to that of the VIdetection rates on a routine H&E stain in CRC resection specimens in a Sri Lankan setting.Methodology: This was a retrospective, descriptive study with an analytical component carried out atthe Department of Histopathology, National Hospital of Sri Lanka. Data were retrieved retrospectivelyfrom 386 cases of CRC. The cases with no VI on the H&E stain were subjected to ETS and re-examinedfor the presence of VI on both H&E and ETS. The results of the two stains were compared statisticallyusing the chi-square test.Results: VI was present in 152 of the 386 specimens (39.38%) on the initial H&E-stained sections. Ofthe remaining 234 specimens, ETS enabled the detection of VI in a further 122 cases, increasing theoverall VI detection rate to 70.98% of CRC resection specimens (X2=102.490, P<0.001).Conclusion: The addition of an ETS enhances the histological detection of VI in CRC resectionspecimens.

[学科分类] 生理学与病理学

[关键词] colorectal carcinoma;venous invasion;elastic-van-Gieson stain