Immunohistochemical study of mixed germ cell sex cord stromal tumours in 13 canine testes

Mixed germ cell sex cord stromal tumours (MGSCTs) are composed of seminiferous tubules, filled with admixed neoplastic Sertoli cells (SCs) and germ cells (GCs). The aim of the present study was to describe 13 canine testicular MGSCTs and to investigate the histochemical features and the immunophenotype of the neoplastic GCs and SCs. Neoplastic SCs were always diffusely labelled for vimentin (VIM), neuron specific enolase (NSE), inhibin (INH)-α and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH). Cytokeratins AE1/AE3 (CK) and desmin (DES) were expressed in 6/13 and 8/13 cases, respectively. Neoplastic GCs were labelled for placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) in 7/13 cases and for CD117 (KIT) in 8/13 cases, while 10 cases were stained uniformly by periodic acideSchiff (PAS). Immature canine SCs are known to express CK, DES, INH-α and AMH, while immature GCs are stained by PAS and express PLAP and KIT. This GC phenotype also distinguishes between classical and spermatocytic seminoma, with the latter being negative for these markers. The results of the present study show that both neoplastic SCs and GCs in MGSCTs have a de-differentiated phenotype.