CK8 correlates with malignancy in leukoplakia and carcinomas of the head and neck.
Screening of head and neck carcinoma patients with the proteomics-based AMIDA technology yielded a set of tumour-associated antigens, including the intermediate filament protein cytokeratin 8 (CK8). The expression pattern and specificity of CK8 was compared with those of the established markers pan-cytokeratins and CK13, and with that of the proliferation marker Ki67. Expression of CK8 correlated positively with malignancies of the head and neck areas. CK8 was not expressed in healthy epithelium, except for some rare cases of cells of the basal layer and laryngeal tissue. In contrast, the vast majority of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and metastases strongly expressed CK8. Interestingly, CK8 de novo expression correlated with dysplastic areas of oral leukoplakic lesions, while hyperplastic leukoplakia remained CK8-negative but strongly panCK and CK13 positive. Thus, CK8 is an attractive marker molecule for a differentiated diagnosis of leukoplakia and head and neck carcinomas, which possesses notedly improved specificity as compared with panCK and CK13.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Grosshadern Medical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377 Munich, Germany. olivier.gires@med.uni-muenchen.de
Olivier
O
Gires
Brigitte
B
Mack
Jens
J
Rauch
Christoph
C
Matthias
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis*; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D007633:Keratins