Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Comparative Cytokeratin Expression in the Different Cell Types of Salivary Gland Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Head and Neck Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is the most common malignant salivary gland tumor, composed of several different cell types, with controversial histogenesis. The aim of this study was to assess the expression of cytokeratins in mucoepidermoid carcinoma, comparing to cytokeratin expression in normal salivary glands, in order to establish a possible correlation between tumor cells immunostaining and mucoepidermoid carcinoma histogenesis and differentiation. Eighty cases of salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma were immunohistochemically examined with the use of antibodies against cytokeratins 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 18, and 19. Cytokeratin expression varied according to the cellular type: squamous cells presented high expression of cytokeratins 6, 7, 8, 14, 18, and 19; intermediate and mucous cells of cytokeratin 7; clear and columnar cells of cytokeratins 6, 7, 8 and the latter also expressed cytokeratin 18. Cytokeratin 13 expression was low in all cell types. Cytokeratin immunoexpression in mucoepidermoid carcinoma was variable according to the cellular type; but regardless of the cellular type studied, cytokeratins 7 and 13 were, respectively, constantly high and low expressed. The immunoprofile of the normal salivary glands was variable according to the component but, in general, cytokeratin profile in mucoepidermoid carcinoma showed similarity to the immunoexpression on the excretory duct unit of normal salivary glands.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.

References

  1. Luna MA. Salivary mucoepidermoid carcinoma: revisited. Adv Anat Pathol. 2006;13:293–307. doi:10.1097/01.pap.0000213058.74509.d3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Ito FA, Ito K, Vargas PA, et al. Salivary gland tumors in a brazilian population: a retrospective study of 496 cases. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2005;34:533–6. doi:10.1016/j.ijom.2005.02.005.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Pires FR, Alves FA, de Almeida OP, et al. Carcinoma mucoepidermóide de cabeça e pescoço: estudo clínico-patológico de 173 casos. Rev Bras Otorrinolaringol (Engl Ed). 2002;68:679–84.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Pires FR, de Almeida OP, de Araujo VC, et al. Prognostic factors in head and neck mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130:174–80. doi:10.1001/archotol.130.2.174.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Dardick I. Color Atlas/text of salivary gland pathology. New York: Igaku-Shoin Medical Publishers; 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Ellis GL, Auclair PL. Tumors of the salivary glands—Atlas of tumor pathology, 3rd Series, Fascicle 17. Washington: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Barnes L, Eveson JW, Reichart P, Sidransky D. World health organization classification of tumours. Pathology & genetics—Head and neck tumors. Lyon: IARC Press; 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Dardick I, Daya D, Hardie J, et al. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma: ultrastructural and histogenetic aspects. J Oral Pathol. 1984;13:342–58. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0714.1984.tb01433.x.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Dardick I, Gliniecki MR, Heathcote JG, et al. Comparative histogenesis and morphogenesis of mucoepidermoid carcinoma and pleomorphic adenoma. An ultrastructural study. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histopathol. 1990;417:405–17. doi:10.1007/BF01606029.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Loyola AM, de Sousa SO, Araujo NS, et al. Study of minor salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma differentiation based on immunohistochemical expression of cytokeratins, vimentin and muscle-specific actin. Oral Oncol. 1998;34:112–8. doi:10.1016/S1368-8375(97)00070-5.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Chaudhry AP, Cutler LS, Liefer C, et al. Ultrastructural study of the histogenesis of salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma. J Oral Pathol Med. 1989;18:400–9. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0714.1989.tb01572.x.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Hassanin MB, Ghosh L, Das AK, et al. Immunohistochemical and fluorescent microscopic study of histogenesis of salivary mucoepidermoid carcinoma. J Oral Pathol Med. 1989;18:291–8. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0714.1989.tb00400.x.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Regezi JA, Zarbo RJ, Batsakis JG. Immunoprofile of mucoepidermoid carcinomas of minor salivary glands. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1991;71:189–92. doi:10.1016/0030-4220(91)90466-P.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. da Silveira EJ, Veras Barros SS, de Amorim RF, et al. Cytokeratin profile in mucoepidermoid carcinoma is not related to its histological grading of malignancy. Exp Mol Pathol. 2006;81:72–6. doi:10.1016/j.yexmp.2005.12.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Moll R, Franke WW, Schiller DL, et al. The catalog of human cytokeratins: patterns of expression in normal epithelia, tumors and cultured cells. Cell. 1982;31:11–24. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(82)90400-7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Coulombe PA, Omary MB. “Hard” and “soft” principles defining the structure, function and regulation of keratin intermediate filaments. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2002;14:110–22. doi:10.1016/S0955-0674(01)00301-5.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kirfel J, Magin TM, Reichelt J. Keratins: a structural scaffold with emerging functions. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2003;60:56–71. doi:10.1007/s000180300004.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Sawaf MH, Ouhayoun JP, Forest N. Cytokeratin profiles in oral epithelia: a review and a new classification. J Biol Buccale. 1991;19:187–98.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Berkovitz BK, Barret AW. Cytokeratin intermediate filaments in oral and odontogenic epithelia. Bull Group Int Rech Sci Stomatol Odontol. 1998;40:4–23.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Chu PG, Weiss LM. Keratin expression in human tissues and neoplasms. Histopathology. 2002;40:403–39. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2559.2002.01387.x.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. de Araujo VC, de Sousa SO, Carvalho YR, et al. Application of immunohistochemistry to the diagnosis of salivary gland tumors. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2000;8:195–202. doi:10.1097/00022744-200009000-00005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Pires FR, Chen SY, Perez DEC, et al. Cytokeratin expression in central mucoepidermoid carcinoma and glandular odontogenic cyst. Oral Oncol. 2004;40:545–51. doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2003.11.007.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Foschini MP, Marucci G, Eusebi V. Low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands: characteristic immunohistochemical profile and evidence of striated duct differentiation. Virchows Arch. 2002;440:536–42. doi:10.1007/s00428-001-0585-6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Sobral AP, Loducca SV, Kowalski LP, et al. Immunohistochemical distinction of high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma and epidermoid carcinoma of the parotid region. Oral Oncol. 2002;38:437–40. doi:10.1016/S1368-8375(01)00089-6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Terada T, Ikeuchi S, Inomoto C, et al. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the palate composed exclusively of clear cells (clear cell variant). Virchows Arch. 2004;445:541–3 (Letter to the editor). doi:10.1007/s00428-004-1086-1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Brannon RB, Willard CC. Oncocytic mucoepidermoid carcinoma of parotid gland origin. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2003;96:727–33. doi:10.1016/S1079-2104(03)00377-9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Eversole LR. Histogenic classification of salivary tumors. Arch Pathol. 1971;92:433–43.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Gustafsson H, Kjorell U, Eriksson A, et al. Distribution of intermediate filament proteins in developing and adult salivary glands in man. Anat Embryol (Berl). 1988;178:243–51. doi:10.1007/BF00318227.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Martins MD, Cavalcanti de Araujo V, Raitz R, et al. Expression of cytoskeletal proteins in developing human minor salivary glands. Eur J Oral Sci. 2002;110:316–21. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0722.2002.21360.x.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Meer S, Altini M. CK7+/CK20—immunoexpression profile is typical of salivary gland neoplasia. Histopathology. 2007;51:26–31. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2559.2007.02728.x.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. de Araujo VC, de Sousa SO. Expression of different keratins in salivary gland tumours. Eur J Cancer B Oral Oncol. 1996;32B:14–8. doi:10.1016/0964-1955(95)00052-6.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. do Prado RF, Lima CF, Pontes HA, et al. Calcifications in a clear cell mucoepidermoid carcinoma: a case report with histological and immunohistochemical findings. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2007;104:e-40–4.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Ellis GL. Clear cell neoplasm in salivary glands: clearly a diagnostic challenge. Ann Diagn Pathol. 1998;2:61–78. doi:10.1016/S1092-9134(98)80035-X.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Chen SY. Ultrastructure of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of minor salivary glands. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol.1979;47:247–55. doi:10.1016/0030-4220(79)90149-X.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by CAPES, FAPESP and CNPq, Brazil. The authors thank Ana Cristina do Amaral Godoy for the immunohistochemical assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oral Pathology, Piracicaba Dental School, State University of Campinas, UNICAMP, Avenida Limeira, 901, Caixa Postal 52, CEP: 13414-903, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

    Rebeca Souza Azevedo & Oslei Paes de Almeida

  2. Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Otorhinolaryngology, AC Camargo Cancer Hospital, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Luiz Paulo Kowalski

  3. Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry, State University of Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Fábio Ramôa Pires

Authors
  1. Rebeca Souza Azevedo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. Oslei Paes de Almeida
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. Luiz Paulo Kowalski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fábio Ramôa Pires
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rebeca Souza Azevedo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Azevedo, R.S., de Almeida, O.P., Kowalski, L.P. et al. Comparative Cytokeratin Expression in the Different Cell Types of Salivary Gland Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma. Head and Neck Pathol 2, 257–264 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-008-0074-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-008-0074-1

Keywords