title: Expression of cytokeratin 7 in simultaneous mucinous tumors of the ovary and appendix.
abstract: Cytokeratin 7 (CK-7) is a simple epithelial keratin that may be used to investigate the site of origin of adenocarcinomas. In fact, CK-7 is present in ovarian epithelial neoplasms but is generally absent in colonic carcinomas. This pattern of CK-7 expression may aid in elucidating the genesis of mucinous tumors occurring simultaneously in the ovary and appendix, accompanied by psuedomyxoma peritonei. Five such cases were immunostained with anti-CK-7, and all showed a concordant staining pattern of the appendiceal, ovarian, and peritoneal lesions. Two cases showed a negative reaction for CK-7 and thus would appear to represent ovarian and peritoneal metastases from an appendiceal primary tumor. Three cases were CK-7 positive, and the nature of these mucinous lesions remains open to debate; they may either represent independent primary tumors or originate from the appendix. For comparison, five Stage I mucinous borderline tumors of the ovary and their normal appendices were also stained with anti-CK-7. These ovarian tumors were all CK-7 positive, whereas the appendices were negative. It is concluded that CK-7 is capable of distinguishing a group of tumors that can reliably be classified as primary appendiceal neoplasms metastatic to the ovaries and peritoneum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, St Vincent's Hopital, New York, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guerrieri
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frånlund
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boeryd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001063:Appendiceal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D018282:Cystadenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011553:Pseudomyxoma Peritonei / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D007633:Keratins