title: Expression of the Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule and Cytokeratin 8 in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer: A Comparative Study.
abstract: The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a well-known and widely accepted tumor-associated antigen in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In contrast, little is known about cytokeratin 8 (CK8), an intermediary filament protein, recently associated with HNSCC. Studies demonstrated an aberrant expression on the cell surface of different carcinomas of both antigens. We performed an immunohistochemical study on the expression pattern of CK8 in comparison to EpCAM on cryosections, followed by microscopic quantitative and semi-qualitative analyses. Both antigens showed heterogenous expression both in individual carcinomas and between different carcinoma types. Furthermore, the expression of CK8 is clearly dependent on the degree of histological tumor cell differentiation. With increasing de-differentiation, the amount of CK8 expression increased, which was not seen for EpCAM. The expression of EpCAM was high on all carcinomas independent of their anatomical localization. Regarding CK8, there seems to be a correlation between the expression grade and the anatomical site. The application of CK8 may provide additional supplementary information on HNSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Helios Medical Center Dachau, Teaching Hospital of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Dachau, Germany Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andratschke
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Helios Medical Center Dachau, Teaching Hospital of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Dachau, Germany.
authors.forename: Hjalmar
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hagedorn
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bogenhausen Medical Center, Munich, Germany Andreas.Nerlich@klinikum-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nerlich
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D000071858:Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D053533:Keratin-8 / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; C499379:EPCAM protein, human; D000071858:Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; D053533:Keratin-8
keywords: CK8; EpCAM; Head and neck cancer; cytokeratin 8; squamous cell carcinoma