EXPRESSION OF 2 KERATINS IN BASAL-CELL, METATYPICAL, AND SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMAS OF THE SKIN

Using an indirect immunoperoxidase method and monoclonal antibodies, the expression of keratins 8 and 17 is investigated in 53 cases of basal cell carcinoma, 10 cases of metatypical carcinoma, and 3 cases of squamous cell carcinoma. Basal cell carcinoma cells are found to express keratin 17 in all cases and keratin 8 in the majority of them. The levels of these keratins in metatypical carcinoma cells are much lower. In squamous cell carcinoma, the keratins are only expressed in a few fields of vision around areas of keratinization. Comparative microspectrophotometric measurements of the intensities of specific staining show that the histological preparations of basal cell carcinoma have optical densities 6-7 times higher than those of metatypical carcinoma and 10-14 times higher than those of squamous cell carcinoma. It is concluded that the features of keratin expression observed in this study may be of use in the differential diagnosis of skin cancers.