GATA3 Immunohistochemical Expression in Salivary Gland Neoplasms

Abstract

GATA3 is a zinc finger transcription factor that regulates the normal development of many tissues and cell types. Recent studies have shown that immunohistochemical nuclear staining for GATA3 among tumors is highly restricted to carcinomas of breast and urothelial origin; however salivary gland tumors have not been tested. Given that breast and salivary gland tissues are very similar with respect to embryologic development and structure, we performed GATA3 staining on a spectrum of salivary gland neoplasms. GATA3 immunohistochemistry was performed on a diverse collection of 180 benign and malignant salivary gland neoplasms including 10 acinic cell carcinomas, 2 adenocarcinomas not otherwise specified, 41 adenoid cystic carcinomas, 2 epithelial-myoepithelial carcinomas, 1 low grade cribriform cystadenocarcinoma, 15 mammary analogue secretory carcinomas, 7 metastatic squamous cell carcinomas, 27 mucoepidermoid carcinomas, 2 oncocytic carcinomas, 5 oncocytomas, 34 pleomorphic adenomas, 4 polymorphous low grade adenocarcinomas, 25 salivary duct carcinomas, and 5 Warthin tumors. Staining for GATA3 was observed in 92/180 (51 %) of salivary gland tumors. GATA3 staining was observed in most of the tumor types, but diffuse immunolabeling was consistently seen in salivary duct carcinoma (25 of 25) and mammary analogue secretory carcinoma (15 of 15)-the two tumor types that most closely resemble breast neoplasia. Background benign salivary gland tissue was also usually weakly positive in both acini and ducts. GATA3 immunostaining is not restricted to tumors of breast and urothelial origin. Rather, it is expressed across many different types of salivary gland neoplasms. As a result, salivary gland origin should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a GATA3-positive carcinoma, particularly in the head and neck. Although GATA3 immunohistochemistry is not helpful in resolving the differential diagnosis between a primary salivary gland neoplasm and metastatic breast cancer, it may have some utility in subtyping salivary gland tumors, particularly salivary duct carcinoma and mammary analogue secretory carcinoma.

Mammary analog secretory carcinoma, low-grade salivary duct carcinoma, and mimickers: a comparative study

“…Recently, DOG1 has been demonstrated as a good diagnostic biomarker for acinic cell carcinoma; 7 it has not been extensively tested in low-grade salivary duct carcinoma or MASC. GATA3, a zinc-finger transcription factor, has recently been reported to be expressed by many salivary tumors including MASC, 8 but has not been tested extensively in low-grade salivary duct carcinoma. We report the immunohistochemical profiling of MASC and its mimics, namely acinic cell carcinoma, low-grade salivary duct carcinoma, high-grade salivary duct carcinoma, and cystic lowgrade mucoepidermoid carcinoma, with respect to mammaglobin, S100 protein, DOG1, and GATA3.…”

Practical Applications in Immunohistochemistry: Carcinomas of Unknown Primary Site

“…GATA3 is also expressed, however, in carcinomas primary to the breast and salivary gland 36 and in a smaller subset of genitourinary tract and lung squamous cell carcinomas. 148 Furthermore, GATA3 is useful in distinguishing TCC from high-grade prostatic adenocarcinomas, which are typically negative for this marker.…”

Immunohistochemistry in Undifferentiated Neoplasm/Tumor of Uncertain Origin

“…However, the study by Gruver et al 76 reported 23% of pulmonary SCCs can be positive for GATA3. More recent studies demonstrated that GATA3 expression was seen in (1) salivary gland tumors (100% of salivary ductal carcinomas and mammary analogue secretory carcinomas), 74 (2) 80% of metastatic paragangliomas, 73 and (3) 7% of anal SCCs and 19% of uterine cervical SCCs, which tended to be focally positive. 75 Our unpublished data showed approximately 10% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas can be positive for GATA3 on tissue microarray sections.…”