Can immunohistochemistry differentiate between cells and malignant epithelial cells?

ABSTRACT

Background: Malignant epithelial cells can be difficult to distinguish from reactive benign mesothelial cells in cytological smears prepared from body fluid effusions. Calretinin and cytokeratin 5/6 are valuable markers in the immunohistochemical distinction between malignant mesothelioma and adenocarcinoma in tissue sections. However, there is limited and conflicting data regarding their utility in the differential diagnosis between reactive benign mesothelial cells and malignant cells in cytologic material: