Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41656400›Full record

ArticleVirchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology2026

The specificity of HEG1 as mesothelioma marker depends on the differential diagnosis.

Ben Davidson, Lara Maria Stričak, Arild Holth, Annette Torgunrud, Jeremias Wohlschlaeger, Martin Tötsch, Assia Bassarova

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Cellular Plasticity in Malignant Transformation: Mesothelial Cells.Pathobiology : journal of immunopathology, molecular and cellular biology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ben DavidsonDepartment of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Norwegian Radium Hospital, N-0310, Oslo, Norway. bend@medisin.uio.no.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3332-8427
Lara Maria StričakDepartment of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Norwegian Radium Hospital, N-0310, Oslo, Norway.
Arild HolthDepartment of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Norwegian Radium Hospital, N-0310, Oslo, Norway.
Annette TorgunrudDepartment of Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Jeremias WohlschlaegerInstitute of Pathology, Academic Teaching Hospitals Flensburg, DIAKO Hospital gGmbH, Flensburg, Germany.
Martin TötschInstitute of Cytology, KAGes, 8036, Graz, Austria.
Assia BassarovaDepartment of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Norwegian Radium Hospital, N-0310, Oslo, Norway.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the diagnostic role of HEG homolog 1 (HEG1) in cancers affecting the serosal cavities. HEG1 protein expression by immunohistochemistry was analyzed in 534 specimens (341 effusions and 193 surgical specimens). Effusions consisted of 151 tubo-ovarian carcinomas, 59 breast carcinomas, 44 mesotheliomas, 37 lung carcinomas, 29 uterine corpus and cervical carcinomas, 17 gastrointestinal carcinomas and 4 genitourinary carcinomas. Surgical specimens consisted of 139 tubo-ovarian carcinomas, 42 mesotheliomas, 7 multicystic mesothelial proliferations and 5 papillary mesothelial tumors. HEG1 expression was found in 43/44 (98%) mesothelioma effusions and 39/42 (93%) surgical mesothelioma specimens, as well as all multicystic and papillary mesothelial tumors. HEG1 was infrequently expressed in breast carcinoma (4/59; 7%), lung carcinoma (2/37; 5%) and cervical/uterine carcinoma effusions (3/29; 10%), but was often detected in tubo-ovarian carcinoma effusions (80/151; 53%) and surgical specimens (99/139, 71%). HEG1 was additionally consistently expressed by reactive mesothelial cells in effusions and in endothelial cells in surgical specimens. HEG1 had sensitivity of 95% for diagnosing malignant mesothelioma in all studied specimens, with a specificity of 38% in the differential diagnosis from tubo-ovarian carcinoma and 93% in the differential diagnosis from non-tubo-ovarian carcinomas. Of 179 HEG1-positive carcinomas, 172 expressed the epithelial marker claudin-4. In conclusion, HEG1 is a highly sensitive marker of both benign and malignant mesothelial cells. It shows high specificity in the differentiation of mesothelioma from lung or breast carcinoma but is of little value in differentiating mesothelioma from tubo-ovarian carcinoma. The potential role of HEG1 as vascular marker merits further research.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorMesotheliomaAgedDiagnosis, DifferentialFemaleHumansImmunohistochemistryLung NeoplasmsMaleMembrane ProteinsMiddle AgedSensitivity and SpecificityBiomarkers, TumorHEG1 protein, humanMembrane ProteinsDiagnosisHEG1ImmunohistochemistryMesotheliomaTubo-ovarian carcinoma

Identifiers

PMID41656400
PMCPMC12963136

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.