Immunohistochemical study of Langerhans cells in skin tumors

The behavior of Langerhans cells in skin tumors was investigated by immunohistochemical techniques using OKT6. OKT6-positive cells were numerous in squamous cell carcinomas, seborrheic keratoses and keratoacanthomas. They were rare in basal cell carcinomas, Bowen's disease, eccrine poromas, extramammary Paget's disease and warts. In solar keratosis, the number of OKT6-positive cells was almost equal or slightly larger compared to the normal epidermis. These results indicate that the density of Langerhans cells may not correlate with the degree of malignancy but, to a certain extent, with the nature of the membrane of tumor cells occurring e.g. during keratinization.