Background

Immunohistochemistry plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and in its distinction from other primary and metastatic neoplasms. In this study, we examined the expression of MOC-31 (Anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule monoclonal antibody, clone number-31), hepatocyte paraffin 1 (Hep Par 1), and N-cadherin in primary carcinoma and metastatic adenocarcinoma (AC) in the liver.

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of MOC-31, Hep Par 1, and N-cadherin in the differential diagnosis of primary carcinoma and metastatic AC in the liver.

Materials and methods

The present study included 56 specimens from cases of primary and metastatic liver tumors, including 20 primary HCCs in the liver, five intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas, and 31 metastatic ACs in the liver. They were studied to evaluate MOC-31, Hep Par 1, and N-cadherin expression using immunohistochemistry.