title: Heffalumps, jagulars, and cheshire cats. A commentary on cytokeratins and soft tissue sarcomas.
abstract: Historically, antibodies to cytokeratin intermediate filaments have been models of target specificity. In most diagnostic settings, the utility of these antibodies was unquestioned; reactivity for cytokeratin was dogmatically equated with epithelial differentiation. Recently, however, the diagnostic importance of these antibodies has been challenged, prompted by the demonstration of cytokeratin reactivity in a variety of "nonepithelial" neoplasms. In this review, the evolving literature on this topic is explored, and the practical implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Lauren V. Ackerman Laboratory of Surgical Pathology, Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Swanson
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis*; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000473:pathology*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D007633:Keratins