RESUMO
UNLABELLED: Pax-2 transcriptional factor is expressed during kidney development and could re-express in renal tumors. The aim of this study was to examine Pax-2 expression in different types of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in order to see whether it is good immunohistochemical marker. METHOD: We analyzed 48 different renal tumours stained with Pax-2 antibody. Pax-2 positive reaction was noticed in nucleus or cytoplasm. Expression of this antigen in tumours tissue was correlated with tumour stage and nuc-lear grade. Pax-2 expression between different histological RCC types was analyzed by chi2 test and Fishers test for two in-depended samples. RESULTS: Pax-2 is expressed by a high percentage of re-nal tumors regardless of histologic type. Significant diffe-rence of Pax-2 expression between oncocytomas and chromofobe RCC was found. CONCLUSION: Nuclear expression of Pax-2 is useful diagnostic kidney tumour marker. Pax-2 showed stronger expression in lower malignancy kidney tumours and in oncocytomas, than in high grade RCC like in those with sarcomatoid differentiation