The localization of human keratin proteins at cytological and histological levels in carcinomatous and sarcomatous lesions.

Immunoperoxidase staining for human keratin proteins was performed cytologically on samples from 90 patients with malignant tumors, and histologically on samples from 164 patients with malignant tumors. At the cytological level, almost all tumor cells not only in squamous cell carcinoma but also in nonsquamous cell carcinoma were positive for keratin proteins, in contrast with the apparent abscence of keratin proteins in sarcoma. At the histological level, almost all neoplastic cells of squamous cell carcinoma were positive for keratin proteins, the same as at the cytological level. In contrast, among cases of nonsquamous cell carcinoma, the frequency of appearance of keratin proteins varied according to the organ; it tended to be low in tumors with relatively good prognosis, such as carcinomas in the digestive system or thyroid cancer, and to be high in tumor with poor prognosis, such as pulmonary cancer, gallbladder cancer and endometrial cancer. However, there was a marked difference between the frequency of appearance of keratin proteins at the cytological level and that at the histological level, particularly in the cases of gastric cancer.

[Immuno-cytochemical and -histochemical localization of human keratin proteins in various kinds of cancerous lesion].

Immunoperoxidase staining for human keratin proteins (hKP) was performed cytochemically in samples from 79 cancer patients, and histochemically in samples from 134 cancer patients. Immunohistochemically, hKP was present in almost all patients with squamous cell carcinoma (lung), transitional cell carcinoma (urinary bladder), adenocarcinoma (lung, stomach, breast, ovary), bronchiole-alveolar carcinoma (lung), and large cell carcinoma (lung). It was detected in 40% of the patients with small cell carcinoma (lung). Histochemically, hKP was present in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (lung, uterine body), adenocarcinoma (lung, stomach, colon, gall bladder, thyroid, uterine body), adenosquamous cell carcinoma (gall bladder, uterine body), Signet-ring cell carcinoma (stomach), clear cell carcinoma (uterine body) and undifferentiated carcinoma (uterine body). However, it was not detected in patients with brochiole ++-alveola ++ carcinoma (lung) and mucinous carcinoma (gall bladder).