Cytokeratin 7: a re-evaluation of the 'tried and true' in triple-negative breast cancers

摘要

Aims: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are often poorly differentiated tumours that can present clinically as metastases of an unknown primary. Immunohistochemical panels are frequently used to determine the likelihood of a breast primary, but in this tumour subset cytokeratin (CK)7 may be the only positive finding. In this study we aimed to evaluate a commonly employed immunohistochemicai panel using a large group of TNBCs (both basal-like and unclassified), and to analyse the CK7 staining patterns. Methods and results: Tissue microarrays containing 138 TNBCs were stained with antibodies against CK7, CK20, gross cystic disease fluid protein 15 (GCDFP-15), and mammaglobin.