Application of LEF-1 immunohistochemical staining in the diagnosis of solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas

Introduction

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) is a tumor of young females with gain-of-function mutation in catenin beta 1 gene involved in Wnt signal transduction pathway. Beta-catenin immunohistochemistry (IHC) is used to diagnose SPN. Lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF-1) has been recognized in the transactivation of Wnt pathway. We aim to study LEF-1 IHC in SPN and other pancreatic tumors and compare it with beta-catenin IHC.

Methods

We retrieved cases of SPN, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PanNET), serous cystadenoma (SCA), ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) from 2011 to 2023. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks with adequate tumor were cut and stained with beta-catenin (B-Catenin-1 clone) and LEF-1 (EP310 clone) IHC. Cases were reviewed by two pathologists independently. Nuclear staining with LEF-1 and beta-catenin was considered as positive.

Results

Our cohort consisted of 111 cases [SPN = 59 (42 resections, 11 FNA, 6 biopsies), PDAC = 24, PanNET = 22, SCA = 5, ACC = 1]. For SPN cases male to female ratio was1:8. Age ranged from 9 to 81 years (average: 32 years). Pancreatic tail was the most common location (47 %) followed by head (28 %), body (19 %) and neck (6 %). Tumor size ranged from 1.0 to 12.2 cm (average: 5 cm). Among the SPN cases 57/59 demonstrated strong nuclear LEF-1 staining. 2/49 cases were negative for LEF-1 (both pathologist in agreement). All SPN tumors demonstrated nuclear staining with beta-catenin. Among the non-SPN tumors, beta-catenin showed nuclear staining in 2/52 cases (2 PDAC). The remaining 50 cases were negative for nuclear beta-catenin and demonstrated variable staining pattern with interpretation variability between the two pathologists. The sensitivity and specificity for LEF-1 were 97 % and 100 %, respectively, while for beta-catenin, they were 100 % and 96 % respectively.

Conclusion

Crisp nuclear staining of LEF-1 without background staining makes diagnostic interpretation relatively easy and accurate compared to beta-catenin IHC. This is further helpful for small biopsy samples to help differentiate SPN from mimickers such as PanNET. None of the non-SPN cases displayed nuclear LEF-1 rendering it a valuable adjunct to beta-catenin in the diagnostic evaluation of SPN.