Zirconyl hematoxylin vs. alcian blue staining in a case of extramammary Paget's disease

BACKGROUND: Despite its occasional unavailability, alcian blue has long been the stain of choice for the pathognomonic mucin-secreting cells of extramammary Paget's disease. Zirconyl hematoxylin is a recently developed substitute for alcian blue, which is made from common laboratory materials. METHODS: We have stained sections from three different areas of the same case of extramammary Paget's disease with zirconyl hematoxylin, destained in 7% HCl in ethanol, restained with alcian blue at pH 2.5, destained in 2.5% trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane, and restained with zirconyl hematoxylin. RESULTS: Each staining procedure stained the same cells. CONCLUSIONS: Zirconyl hematoxylin is a useful alternative to alcian blue in the diagnosis of extramammary Paget's disease.