An ALK Immunohistochemical Pitfall: ALK -Positive Histiocytosis Versus Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma
- 8 January 2025
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in International Journal of Surgical Pathology
- Vol. 33 (5) , 1158-1164
Abstract
The proliferation of recognized neoplasms related to related to rearrangements involving kinase genes, arising in diverse somatic tissue lineages, poses an increasing challenge in surgical pathology. For instance, ALK rearrangements have been observed in diverse neoplasms of epithelial, connective tissue, and hematolymphoid lineages, many of which are associated with overexpression of ALK by immunohistochemistry as a useful biomarker. An even higher order challenge and pitfall would be the scenario where a tumor without an ALK rearrangement nonetheless overexpresses the protein, thereby simulating an ALK-defined neoplasm. Herein, we present this exact scenario, where an angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, exhibiting the recently-described phenomenon of its overexpression of ALK, clinically, histologically, and immunophenotypically simulated ALK-positive histiocytosis.Keywords
This publication has 25 references indexed in Scilit:
- ALK-Rearranged Epithelioid Mesenchymal Neoplasm: Expanding the Spectrum of Tyrosine Kinase–Altered Mesenchymal TumorsLaboratory Investigation, 2023
- ALK‐rearranged Mesenchymal Neoplasms: A Report of 9 cases Further Expanding the Clinicopathologic Spectrum of Emerging Kinase Fusion Positive Group of TumorsGenes, Chromosomes and Cancer, 2022
- Spindle cell neoplasm with EML4‐ALK gene fusion presenting as an intraosseous vertebral massGenes, Chromosomes and Cancer, 2020
- ALK-positive histiocytosis: an expanded clinicopathologic spectrum and frequent presence of KIF5B-ALK fusionLaboratory Investigation, 2019
- Epithelioid fibrous histiocytoma: molecular characterization of ALK fusion partners in 23 casesLaboratory Investigation, 2018
- For staining of ALK protein, the novel D5F3 antibody demonstrates superior overall performance in terms of intensity and extent of staining in comparison to the currently used ALK1 antibodyVirchows Archiv, 2016
- ALK rearrangement and overexpression in epithelioid fibrous histiocytomaLaboratory Investigation, 2015
- Angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma: unusual sites and unusual morphologyLaboratory Investigation, 2011
- Angiomatoid “malignant” fibrous histiocytoma: A clinicopathologic study of 158 cases and further exploration of the myoid phenotypeHuman Pathology, 1999
- Angiomatoid malignant fibrous histiocytoma.A distinct fibrohistiocytic tumor of children and young adults simulating a vascular neoplasmCancer, 1979