Pancreatic adenocarcinoma, cytokeratins

Miettinen reported cytokeratin 20 immunoreactivity in 8 of 14 pancreatic carcinomas 1.

The following paper reports liver metastases from pancreatic adenocarcinoma2:

number of cases=23

CK7

CK20

diffusely positive

focally positive

negative

diffusely positive

focally positive

negative

 

20

0

3

5

4

14

 

merging cases which were diffusely or focally positive:

number of cases=23

CK7+/CK20+

CK7+/CK20-

  

CK7-/CK20+

CK7-/CK20-

  

7

13

1

2

 

See also solid-pseudopapillary tumour of the pancreas and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour which are commonly negative for CK7.

Reference

1Miettinen M. Keratin 20: immunohistochemical marker for gastrointestinal, urothelial and Merkel cell carcinomas. Mod Pathol 1995;8:384-388.

2Tot T. Adenocarcinomas metastatic to the liver. Cancer 1999;85:171-177.(N.B. these appears to be a discrepancy of one case in the figures in the original paper.)

©SMUHT/PW Bishop