Breast - specific cytokeratins

Type of carcinoma

Cytokeratin (Moll's catalog)

CK4

CK5

CK7

CK8

CK14

CK18

CK19

CK20

 

 

Ductal

grade I

 

 

18/234, 10/105

 

 

 

 

0/105

grade II

 

 

30/324, 37/465

 

 

 

 33/3312

0/465, 4/856

grade III

 

 

12/134, 43/455

 

 

 

 18/1912

3/455, 4/186

grade not stated

 

 

37/387, 17/198, 5/69

 

 

 

 

7/387, 1/198, 0/69, 0/6713

total

 

 

209/232 (90%)

 

 

 

 

19/334 (6%)

Lobular

 

 

 

78/822, 11/117, 5/74

 

 

 

 

4/822, 1/117, 0/713

Cribriform

 

 

 

5/52

 

 

 

 

0/52

Tubular

 

 

 

10/102

 

 

 

 

1/102

Mucinous

 

 

 

9/112, 2/34, 13/147

 

 

 

 

3/112, 1/46, 0/147, 0/913

Medullary

typical

0/241

6/241

23/241

24/241

3/241

24/241

21/241, 13/1312

1/241

atypical

0/71

3/71

7/71

7/71

1/71

7/71

7/71, 24/2412

1/71

metastatic

0/101

2/101

9/101

10/101

2/101

10/101

9/101

0/101

Papillary

 

 

 

2/32

 

 

 

 

1/32

Mucinous cystadeno-carcinoma

 

 

 

4/43

 

 

 

 

0/43

Carcinoma NOS

 

8%(3/39)10

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall

 

 

 

387/423 (91%)

 

 

 

125/130 (96%)

41/698 (6%)

See also the coordinate expression of cytokeratins 7 and 20

Cytokeratin 8 staining of DCIS and invasive ductal carcinoma is diffusely cytoplasmic. This contrasts with the perinuclear staining of CLIS and invasive lobular carcinoma (which results in "bag of marbles" impression). This difference in the pattern of staining is retained even in those tumours which otherwise do not demonstrate characteristic histomorphological features (i.e. solid or pleomorphic type of lobular carcinoma). E-Cadherin shows a similar peripheral-predominant immunostaining pattern (33/33 cases) in ductal carcinoma while lobular carcinomas were negative (all 15 cases)11.

Cytokeratin 5/6 immunophenotyping may be useful in differentiating benign epithelial proliferations from those which are atypical or malignant10:

 

luminal epithelial cells

myoepithelial cells

normal breast tissue

terminal duct lobular unit

87%

38%

terminal duct

76%

98%

major and lactiferous duct

67%

100%

fibrocystic disease

cysts

21%

87%

apocrine metaplasia

0

92%

benign proliferations

adenosis

50%

45%

sclerosing adenosis

52%

88%

ductal hyperplasia of usual type

97%

93%

papilloma/papillomatosis

50%

82%

fibroadenoma

33%

83%

adenomyoepithelioma

67%

67%

atypical hyperplasia

atypical ductal hyperplasia

7%

95%

atypical lobular hyperplasia

26%

83%

carcinoma in situ

ductal carcinoma in situ

4%

94%

lobular carcinoma in situ

17%

83%

invasive carcinoma, NOS

9%

myoepithelial cells absent

 

References

1Tot T. The cytokeratin profile of medullary carcinoma of the breast. Histopathology 2000; 37: 175-181.

2Tot T. Patterns of distribution of cytokeratins 20 and 7 in special types of invasive breast carcinoma: a study of 123 cases. Ann Diagn Pathol 1999; 3: 350-6.

3 Koenig, C., Tavassoli, F. A. Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the breast. Am J Surg Pathol 1998; 22:698-703.

4 Heatley, M., Maxwell, P., Whiteside, C., Toner, P. Cytokeratin intermediate filament expression in benign and malignant breast disease.J Clin Pathol 1995;48:26-32.

5Malzahn, K., Mitze, M., Thoenes, M., Moll, R. Biological and prognostic significance of stratified epithelial cytokeratins in infiltrating ductal breast carcinomas. Virchows Arch 1998;433:119-29

6Moll, R., Lowe, A., Laufer, J., Franke, W. W. Cytokeratin 20 in human carcinomas. A new histodiagnostic marker detected by monoclonal antibodies, Am J Pathol 1992;140:427-47.

 7Wang NP, Zee S, Zarbo RJ et al.Coordinate expression of cytokeratins 7 and 20 defines unique subsets of carcinomas. Appl Immunohist 1995;3:99-107.

8Savera AT, Torres FX, Linden MD et al. Primary versus metastatic pulmonary adenocarcinoma: an Immunohistochemical study using villin, cytokeratin 7 and 20. Appl Immunohist 1996;86-94.

9Wauters, C. C., Smedts, F., Gerrits, L. G., Bosman, F. T., Ramaekers, F. C. Keratins 7 and 20 as diagnostic markers of carcinomas metastatic to the ovary. Hum Pathol 1995;26:852-5.

10Otterbach F, Bankfalvi a, Bergner S et al. Cytokeratin 5/6 immunohistochemistry assists the differential diagnosis of atypical poliferations of the breast. Histopathology 2000;37:232-40.

11Lehr H-A, Folpe A, Yaziji H. Cytokeratin 8 immunostaining pattern and E-Cadherin expression distinguish lobular from ductal breast carcinoma. Am J Clin Pathol 2000;114:190-6.

12Jensen ML et al. Medullary breast carcinoma vs. poorly differentiated ductal carcinoma: an immunohistochemical study with keratin 19 and oestrogen receptor staining. Histopathology 1996;29:241-245.

13Miettinen M. Keratin 20: immunohistochemical marker for gastrointestinal, urothelial and Merkel cell carcinomas. Mod Pathol 1995;8:384-388.

©SMUHT/PW Bishop