Table of Contents
Definition / general | Uses by pathologists | Microscopic (histologic) images | Positive staining - normal | Positive staining - tumors | Negative stainingCite this page: Pernick N. CD68. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/cdmarkerscd68.html. Accessed January 20th, 2021.
Definition / general
- Also called KP1, macrosialin
- May have role in macrophage phagocytic activities
- Specific to lysosomes, not cell lineage; epithelial cells activated by E. coli may be CD68+ (Toxicol In Vitro 2002;16:405)
- Binds to tissue and organ specific lectins or selectins, allowing homing of macrophage subsets to particular sites
- References: OMIM #153634, Am J Clin Pathol 2004;122:794
Uses by pathologists
- Marker of histiocytes and histiocytic tumors
- Presence in postportoenterostomy liver biopsies for extrahepatic biliary atresia is associated with favorable prognosis (J Pediatr Surg 2005;40:1252)
Microscopic (histologic) images
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Case #32
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Case #32
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Positive staining - normal
- Macrophage / monocytes (including Kupffer cells and microglia), basophils, dendritic cells, fibroblasts (Verh Dtsch Ges Pathol 2003;87:215, Ann Rheum Dis 2004;63:774), Langerhans cells, mast cells, myeloid cells, CD34+ progenitor cells, neutrophils, osteoclasts, activated platelets and B and T cells
- Fetal small intestinal inclusions (Cesk Patol 2001;37:7)
Positive staining - tumors
- AML-M4 / M5, angiosarcoma, atypical fibroxanthoma
- B cell lymphoma (some), blastic NK lymphoma
- Calcifying aponeurotic fibroma (Hum Pathol 1998;29:1504), cellular fibrous histiocytoma (83%, J Cutan Pathol 2006;33:353), chronic intervillositis (Hum Pathol 2000;31:1389)
- Dermal dendrocytoma, dermatofibroma (42%, J Cutan Pathol 2006;33:353)
- Erdheim-Chester disease (Am J Surg Pathol 1999;23:17)
- Follicular dendritic cell tumor (Am J Surg Pathol 1998;22:1048)
- Gaucher cells (Am J Clin Pathol 2004;122:359), giant cell angioblastoma, giant cell tumors (extrahepatic biliary tree-Am J Surg Pathol 2006;30:495; soft tissue-Am J Surg Pathol 2000;24:386, synovial type-Hum Pathol 2003;34:670), granular cell astrocytoma (Am J Clin Pathol 2006;126:602), granular cell tumor (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2004;128:771), granulocytic (myeloid) sarcoma (Am J Surg Pathol 1997;21:1156)
- Hairy cell leukemia, hereditary disorders (ceruloplasmin deficiency-macrophages in striatum; #2), histiocytic sarcoma (Am J Surg Pathol 2001;25:1372), HIV encephalopathy (Am J Pathol 2004;164:2089)
- Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor / pseudotumor (Am J Clin Pathol 2003;120:56), interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (Am J Surg Pathol 2002;26:530, Am J Clin Pathol 2001;115:589)
- Juvenile xanthogranuloma (Am J Surg Pathol 2003;27:579)
- Kikuchi's disease (Am J Surg Pathol 1999;23:1040)
- Langerhans cell histiocytosis (usually, Blood 2001;97:1241)
- Malignant fibrous histiocytoma, mastocytosis and mast cell disease (Am J Surg Pathol 2000;24:703), melanoma (Mod Pathol 1999;12:1072), mycobacterial pseudotumor (Am J Surg Pathol 1999;23:656), myelodysplasia bone marrow nodules (Am J Clin Pathol 2003;120:874)
- Neuroma, nodular fasciitis
- Osteoclast-like giant cells in tumors of pancreas and urinary tract (Arch Pathol Lab Med 1998;122:266, Mod Pathol 2006;19:161)
- Pigmented villonodular synovitis (Hum Pathol 2003;34:65), pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, plexiform xanthomatous tumor (Am J Surg Pathol 2002;26:1302), primitive non-neural granular cell tumor of skin (Am J Surg Pathol 2005;29:927)
- Renal cell carcinoma (Am J Clin Pathol 1995;103:425), reticulohistiocytoma (Am J Surg Pathol 2006;30:521), Rosai-Dorfman disease (Mod Pathol 2001;14:172)
- Schwannoma, signet ring-like cells (benign, Am J Clin Pathol 2001;115:249), splenic diffuse hemangioma (Am J Surg Pathol 1997;21:827), splenic littoral cell angioma (Am J Surg Pathol 2006;30:1036), steatohepatitis (Mod Pathol 2002;15:699)
- Whipple’s disease
- Xanthelasma (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2003;127:e417), xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2005;129:e209) and xanthoma (Hum Pathol 2003;34:814)
Negative staining
- Atypical fibrous histiocytoma (Am J Surg Pathol 2002;26:35), megakaryocytes