Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
Generation and Expansion of Primary, Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Tumor Lines
Published on: April 21, 2022
Anti-cytokeratin 5/6: a positive marker for epithelioid mesothelioma
Aims:
Previous studies using frozen material have suggested that cytokeratin 5 is expressed by pleural mesothelioma but not by adenocarcinoma. In the present study, reactions for cytokeratins 5 and 6 were investigated in 33 pleural mesotheliomas and 27 secondary adenocarcinomas of the pleura using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded material and a commercially available antibody (anti-cytokeratin 5/6).
Methods And Results:
All of the adenocarcinomas originated in the peripheral lung. The epithelioid component of the mesotheliomas gave a strongly positive reaction: the reaction in sarcomatoid or desmoplastic areas was absent or weak. Twenty-two of the adenocarcinomas were negative, in four there was a weak, equivocal reaction, and in one there was patchy positivity.
Conclusions:
We conclude that this antibody is potentially a useful positive marker for the identification of the epithelioid variant of mesothelioma in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded material.
