Cathepsin K expression: a useful marker for the differential diagnosis of dermatofibroma and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans.

摘要

Cathepsin K, a cysteine protease with strong collagenolytic and elastolytic properties involved in extracellular matrix turnover, has been demonstrated to play an essential role in osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Cathepsin K is expressed in the skin during scar formation and in the stroma of basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, especially in invasive cases, but not in normal fibroblasts. Concerning fibrous skin tumours, there is only one published study that evaluated the expression of cathepsin K in a dermatofibroma (DF), showing strong expression, but no study has evaluated it in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the expression of cathepsin K in DF and DFSP, in comparison to other differential markers such as CD34, factor XIIIa, CD10 and stromelysin-3 (ST3), to determine which marker has greater potential use as a specialized tool for differential diagnosis.