Value of the characterization of cytokeratins in the oropharyngeal epithelium
Depondt, J.; Sawaf, H.M.; Gehanno, P.; Forest, N.; Ouhayoun, J.P.
Annales d'Oto-Laryngologie et de Chirurgie Cervico Faciale Bulletin de la Societe d'Oto-Laryngologie des Hopitaux de Paris 110(8): 462-469
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-438X PMID: 7522426 Document Number: 417875
Cytokeratins are cytoskeletal components and constitute the intermediate filaments of epithelial cells. They are twenty in number and their distribution characterizes a very specific profile in each kind of epithelium. The authors characterized the cytokeratin repartition of the normal oropharyngeal epithelia in order to study their alterations in pathologic tissues, especially in neoplastic and dysplastic epithelia. The normal oropharyngeal epithelium shows cytokeratin pattern of non keratinized stratified epithelia. Three mucosa samples were studied from inflammatory, dysplastic and neoplastic epithelia. According to the alterations of cytokeratin repartition in the two last samples, cytokeratin pattern analysis could allow a characterization or the differentiation stage of neoplastic tissues before the expression of morphogenic criteria.