Abstract
The presence of squamos differentiation in transitional cell carcinomas has been variably related to prognosis and response to radiotherapy. This study sought to establish whether cytokeratin (CK) 14, normally expressed in the basal cells of squamos epithelium, could be used as a reliable marker of the emergence of a squamos phenotype in transtional cell carcinomas. In as series of 42 tumours, CK14 was expressed in areas of squamos morpholy, whereareas CK20 identified continuing urothelial differentiation. Furthermore, focal positivity for CK14 was present in a proportion of tumours with no morphological evidence of squamos differentiation, suggessting that it is a more sensitive marker of phenotypic switch. Investigation of CK subtypes may be more powerful than morphology alone in clinical studies of transitional cell carcinomas as CK expression profile have been related to treatment response in other tumour types.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1032-1033 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| Journal | Journal of clinical pathology |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 1997 |
Keywords
- Cytokeratins
- Squamos differentiation
- Transitional cell carcinomas