Ghost cell characterization in calcifying odontogenic cysts and dentinogenic ghost cell tumors: An
Aadithya B Urs1, Kiran Jot1, Manoj Kumar1
1Department of Oral Pathology, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi, 110002, India.
Objectives:
The aim of our study was to ascertain the true nature of ghost cells (GCs) by immunolocalization of cytokeratin (CK) 6, CK19, and amelogenin in calcifying odontogenic cysts (COCs) and dentinogenic ghost cell tumors (DGCTs) in an attempt to determine the nature of this unique cell.
Methods:
A total of thirteen cases (six COCs and seven DGCTs) were examined immunohistochemically, in order to compare immunoreactivity for CK6, CK19, and amelogenin in odontogenic GCs.
Results:
Positive expression of amelogenin (92.3%) and CK6 (77%) was chiefly found in GCs. CK19 expression was observed in the cytoplasm of odontogenic epithelial cells of the lining epithelium. GCs were devoid of CK19 expression and were positive only on the cytoplasmic periphery.
Conclusion:
In the current study, GCs showed accumulation of amelogenin and hard keratins in their cytoplasm during pathological transformation.
