EZH2 is a sensitive marker of malignancy in salivary gland tumors

BACKGROUND: The immunohistochemical detection of Enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) proved to be a useful tool to recognize the malignant nature of tumors in a wide variety of neoplasms. The histological diagnostics of salivary gland tumors is a challenging task, and a reliable marker of malignancy would be extremely helpful. METHODS: EZH2 expression was investigated in 54 malignant and 40 benign salivary gland tumors of various histological types by standard immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The majority (n = 52) of the malignant tumors stained positively, while all the investigated benign tumors were negative for EZH2. CONCLUSIONS: EZH2 expression in salivary gland tumors, similarly to the tumors of other organs is not characteristic for any tumor type, but is a solid marker of the malignant nature of the tumors. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13000-015-0392-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.