Diagnostic utility of immunohistochemical marker 34βe12 (keratin 903) in prostate pathology

Cytokeratin clone 34βE12 (keratin 903) is a high molecular weight monoclonal antibody which is immunoreactive against a variety of epithelial tissues and is widely used as a basal cell specific marker. Our aim was to highlight the importance of 34βE12 immunohistochemical detection over the diagnostic evaluation of prostatic lesions. A total of 15 prostatectomy specimens were reviewed, 5 with Benign Hyperplasia (BH), 5 with carcinoma and 5 with high grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia (PIN). 34βE12 imunnohistochemistry was performed on representative sections. The specimens were retrieved from «G. Gennimatas» General Community Hospital Laboratory of Pathology. Normal staining pattern was observed in all 5 cases of BH. PIN showed positive staining in a limited number of basal cells whereas all cases of carcinoma were negative. Cytokeratin 34βE12 is a basal-cell specific antibody. It shows no reactivity neither for the secretory nor for the stromal cells of the prostate. The basal cell layer appears to be continuous in BH whereas it is discontinuous in PIN and totally absent in carcinoma. Thus differential diagnosis between BH, PIN and prostatic carcinoma can be based on the discrete staining pattern of basal cells with 34βE12 and is mostly appreciated in cases where basal cells are hard to distinguish in standard Hematoxylin - Eosin sections