IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF PREKERATIN FILAMENTS IN BENIGN AND MALIGNANT-CELLS IN EFFUSIONS - COMPARISON WITH INTERMEDIATE FILAMENT DISTRIBUTION BY ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

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  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 109  (2) , 206-214
Abstract
An immunoperoxidase technique employing antibody to prekeratin was used to study distribution and pattern of staining of prekeratin filaments in cytological smears obtained from 42 specimens of pleural and peritoneal effusions (27 benign, 15 malignant). The smears were either air-dried or ethanol-fixed. Both benign and malignant mesothelial cells showed distinctive peripheral or perinuclear staining patterns which differed from the characteristic arborizing pattern in adenocarcinoma cells. This ultrastructure of these 2 cell types studied in 27 body fluids (12 benign, 15 malignant) and in 13 malignant tumors (3 mesotheliomas, 10 adenocarcinomas) showed a distinctive localization of intermediate filaments which corresponded to and could explain the pattern of staining obtained using the immunoperoxidase technique. The immunohistochemical and ultrastructural findings appeared characteristic for benign and malignant mesothelial cells and for adenocarcinoma cells, and could be used as markers to differentiate mesothelial tumors and reactive mesothelial cells from adenocarcinomas.