The Role of High Molecular Weight Cytokeratin in the Differential Diagnosis of Prostatic Tumors

Abstract

This descriptive retrospective hospital based study. conducted at Radiation and isotope center-Khartoum (RICK) and Sudan university of science and technology college of medical laboratory science during the period from May to November 2013. The study was aimed to evaluate the validity of high molecular weight cytokeratin (HMW) tumor marker in the differential diagnosis of prostate tumors. Thirty paraffin blocks previously diagnosed as prostate tumors were taken randomly using simple random method(twenty adenocarcinoma and ten benign hyperplasia). Tissue sections were prepared and stained for immunohistochemistry to detect HMWCK using new indirect method (CELL MARQUE - clone 34βE12). Patients data were collected from the patient’s files, the patients age ranged between 52 – 88 years with mean age 67 years. The majority of patients were older than 60 year (80%) and remainder ≤ 60 year (20%). The result of HMWCK expression among study population in 20 adenocarcinoma showed positive result in only one case (5%) and negative result in 19 (95%) , while in 10 benign prostatic hyperplasia the expression of HMWCK were positive in 9 (90%) and negative in only one case(10%), with significant relation between HMWCK expression and tumor behaviour. The study concluded that HMWCK tumor markers can be useful in the differential diagnosis of prostate tumors, whereas positive expression associated with benign hyperplasia and negative expression associated with prostate adenocarcinoma.