Research article

Keratin 8 expression in head and neck epithelia

Christoph Matthias¹ , Brigitte Mack² , Alexander Berghaus² and Olivier Gires^2,3

¹Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Goettingen Medical School, Robert-Kochstr. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany

²Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Grosshadern Medical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377 Munich, Germany

³Clinical Cooperation Group Molecular Oncology, Helmholtz-Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, and Head and Neck Research Dept. Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany

author email corresponding author email

BMC Cancer 2008, 8:267doi:10.1186/1471-2407-8-267

Published:	22 September 2008

Abstract

Background

The intermediate filament forming protein keratin 8 (K8) is a tumour-associated antigen, which was shown to be over-expressed in a variety of malignancies. Here, we present a study of K8 expression in squamous epithelia of the head and neck area, including normal mucosa, hyperplastic and dysplastic leukoplakia, carcinomas of different sub-localisations, and lymph node metastases.

Methods

K8 expression was assessed upon immunohistochemistry with specific antibodies in cryosections of primary tumours of the head and neck area.

Results

K8 expression was characteristic of transformed tissue and marked early stages of disease, i.e. dysplastic oral leukoplakia, but not normal or hyperplastic epithelium. With the exception of carcinomas of the larynx and the tongue, K8 expression also strictly differentiated carcinomas from normal epithelium of the same origin. Furthermore, K8^high was characteristic of cells, which had detached from the sites of primary tumours and had been invading the surrounding tissue at the time point of surgery.

Conclusion

K8 is an excellent marker for head and neck malignancies, which allows for early detection as well as for visualisation of potentially disseminating tumour cells in vivo.