Spontaneously Occurring Hepatocellular Neoplasia in Adolescent Cynomolgus Monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

Abstract

Spontaneous hepatic neoplasms were identified in two adolescent (<5 years of age) male cynomolgus monkeys ( Macaca fascicularis). Monkey No. 1 had a solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Monkey No. 2 had multiple discrete tumors consisting of several poorly circumscribed HCCs and a mixed hepatocholangiocellular carcinoma (MHC). Metastases were not evident in either monkey. Histochemical and immunohistochemical stains were used to assess phenotypic alterations in the tumors. Many or most neoplastic hepatocytes (NHs) of both monkeys stained positive for low-molecular-weight cytokeratin (LMWCK), cytokeratin (CK) 8, and CK 18. In monkey No. 1, small aggregates of NHs were positive for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), glutathione S-transferase- pi (GST), and α-fetoprotein (AFP), but NHs were uniformly negative for CK 7. NHs in monkey No. 2 were negative for CEA and AFP but were multifocally positive for GST and CK 7. Broad-spectrum cytokeratin (BSCK), high-molecular-weight cytokeratin (HMWCK), and CK 19 did not react with NHs of either animal. Neoplastic cells forming ductlike structures in the MHC of monkey No. 2 stained with LMWCK, CK 7, CK8, CK 18, BSCK, and GST but not with HMWCK or CK 19. Tumors in both monkeys had enhanced pericellular fibronectin staining. Nonneoplastic parenchyma of both monkeys contained multiple discrete foci of cellular alteration and scattered aggregates of hepatocytes with strong cytoplasmic staining for fibronectin. Staining patterns of these tumors demonstrate immunophenotypic heterogeneity of the neoplastic cells within individual tumors and variability among tumors. This information may serve as a useful reference for others encountering similar lesions in primates.