Elsevier

Pathology

Volume 32, Issue 2, 2000, Pages 98-101
Pathology

A case of keratin-positive acute myeloid leukemia: a possible role for cytokeratin 19 as a specific epithelial marker

https://doi.org/10.1080/003130200104312Get rights and content

Summary

A patient with relapsed acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AML, FAB M4) developed skin infiltration by leukemic blasts. On immunochemistry, the blasts showed “dot” positive cytoplasmic staining for cytokeratins AE1/AE3 and CAM 5.2, resembling the pattern seen in Merkel cell carcinoma of skin. However, the blasts were positive for myeloid markers and negative for cytokeratin 19 and chromogranin. Aberrant immunochemical staining can lead to misdiagnosis unless a panel of antibodies of known specificity is used in tumor diagnosis, and the clinical context is taken into account. The possible role of cytokeratin 19 as a more specific marker for epithelia than keratin cocktails is discussed.

References (26)

  • W.W. Franke et al.

    Cytoskeletal components of lymphoid organs. I. Synthesis of cytokeratins 8 and 18 and desmin in subpopulations of extrafollicular reticulum cells of human lymph nodes, tonsils and spleen

    Differentiation

    (1987)
  • S.T. Traweek et al.

    Keratin gene expression in non-epithelial tissues. Detection with polymerase chain reaction

    Am J Pathol

    (1993)
  • M. Miettinen

    Keratin immunohistochemistry: update of applications and pitfalls

    Pathol Annu

    (1993)
  • C. Doglioni et al.

    Cytokeratin-immunoreactive cells of human lymph nodes and spleen in normal and pathological conditions. An immunohistochemical study

    Virchows Arch

    (1990)
  • V.E. Gould et al.

    Increased numbers of cytokeratin-positive interstitial reticulum cells (CIRC) in reactive, inflammatory and neoplastic lymphadenopathies: hyperplasia or induced expression?

    Virchows Arch

    (1995)
  • A. De Mascarel et al.

    Gastric large cell lymphoma expressing cytokeratin but no leucocyte common antigen. A diagnostic dilemma

    Am J Clin Pathol

    (1989)
  • Frierson HF et al.

    Cytokeratin in anaplastic large cell lymphoma

    Mod Pathol

    (1994)
  • M. Miettinen et al.

    Cutaneous lymphoma-simulating Merkel cell carcinoma: molecular genetic demonstration of a clonal disease with divergent immunophenotypes

    Mod Pathol

    (1995)
  • J. Lasota et al.

    Cytokeratin-positive large-cell lymphomas of B-cell lineage. A study of five phenotypically unusual cases verified by polymerase chain reaction

    Am J Surg Pathol

    (1996)
  • F. Menestrina et al.

    Common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia-lymphoma expressing cytokeratin: a case report

    Virchows Arch

    (1994)
  • M. Ozdemirli et al.

    Precursor B-lymphoblastic lymphoma presenting as a solitary bone tumor and mimicking Ewing’s sarcoma. A report of four cases and review of the literature

    Am J Surg Pathol

    (1998)
  • C. Gustmann et al.

    Cytokeratin expression and vimentin content in large cell anaplastic lymphomas and other non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas

    Am J Pathol

    (1991)
  • W.G. McCluggage et al.

    Cytokeratin positive T cell malignant lymphoma

    J Clin Pathol

    (1998)
  • Cited by (11)

    • The first case of acute myeloid leukaemia/myeloid sarcoma with cytokeratin expression on blasts diagnosed on urine specimen

      2021, Hematology/ Oncology and Stem Cell Therapy
      Citation Excerpt :

      However, there have been reported cases of myeloid blast cytokeratin positivity, raising carcinoma as a potentially differential diagnosis. In particular, cytokeratin 8 and AE1/AE3 may be expressed, whereas there is a notable lack of expression of CK19 [13–15]. MS has been diagnosed on fine-needle aspirate studies and exfoliative cytology studies, primarily evaluated on pleural fluid [16].

    • The therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of the intrauterine perfusion of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on a thin-endometrium rat model

      2020, Life Sciences
      Citation Excerpt :

      Therefore, we inferred that endometrial improvement due to G-CSF intrauterine perfusion in rats could be related to the growth and repair of endometrial glandular epithelial and stromal cells. Given that CK19 specifically presents in the cytoplasm of glandular epithelial cells and Vim is only distributed in the cytoskeleton of stromal cells, the two factors are often considered as specific biomarkers for them [28,29]. The IHC results showed that the high expression levels of CK19 and Vim in rat endometria are associated with G-CSF intrauterine perfusion, which also corresponds to the integrity of endometrial glandular epithelial cells and the tight arrangement of stromal cells under light microscopic observation.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text