Cytokeratin5/6 (CK5/6)

CK5/6 is a cytokeratin with a molecular weight of 58 kDa and 56 kDa, mainly expressed in the spinous layer cells and basal cells of squamous epithelium. It can be used in the differential diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, mesothelioma and adenocarcinoma, and in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant ductal epithelial hyperplasia. Other uses: diagnosis of basal cell papilloma, transitional cell carcinoma and lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the nasopharynx, eventually other parts of the body. In the mesothelial tumors and adenocarcinomas, CK5/6 was expressed in 80% of mesothelial tumors, especially in epithelioid mesothelioma, but low in adenocarcinomas (17%).