NKX3.1

  • Tech Only CPT
  • Tech Pro CPT
  • PowerPath Code NKX3
  • Schedule Monday - Friday
  • Turn Around Time Within 1-2 business days of receipt
  • Disease State Carcinomas of Unknown Primary
  • Methodology IHC

Specimen Requirements

Formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue block or cell block, or 1 unstained charged slide for each test requested plus 3-4 additional unstained slides cut at 4 microns. Adequate space on each slide for control tissue is required.

Diagnostic Utility

NKX3.1 is a rather sensitive and specific marker for prostatic differentiation, comparable, if not superior, to PSA and PSAP. It stains the nuclei of both benign prostatic glandular epithelium and prostatic adenocarcinoma cells. It may be included in a panel of antibodies in the work-up of metastatic carcinoma from an unknown primary, and is useful in differentiating poorly differentiated prostatic adenocarcinoma from high-grade urothelial carcinoma. Among various carcinomas tested in the literature, only a subset of breast carcinoma, mainly lobular carcinoma, has shown NKX3.1 positivity.

Vendor

Biocare Medical