Cytokeratin CAM 5.2

Stains
Cytokeratin CAM 5.2

Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.

Topic Completed: 1 May 2013

Revised: 4 March 2019

Copyright: 2003-2018, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

PubMed Search: CAM 5.2[title]

Page views in 2019: 15,315

Page views in 2020 to date: 4,058

Table of Contents

Cite this page: Pernick N. Cytokeratin CAM 5.2. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/stainscam52.html. Accessed March 31st, 2020.

Definition / general

Commonly used antibody to cytokeratins 8 and to a lesser extent CK7, but not to cytokeratin 18 or 19 (Am J Clin Pathol 2010;133:514)
A low molecular weight cytokeratin

Uses by pathologists

Confirm or rule out epithelial nature of tissue, tumors or components of tumors
Identify metastatic carcinoma in lymph nodes ( Int J Gynecol Cancer 2006;16:1336), but also stains reticulum cells (Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol 2001;9:297), so AE1-AE3 may be better
Identify micrometastases / isolated tumor cells, a poor prognostic factor in bile duct (hilar) carcinoma (World J Gastroenterol 2006;12:2549), esophageal carcinoma (Ann Thorac Surg 2004;78:1161), rectal carcinoma (Dis Colon Rectum 2003;46:333) and stomach carcinoma (Am J Surg Pathol 2005;29:1135)
Identify metastases in bone marrow (Br J Cancer 2002;86:1047), although false positives may also occur (Eur J Surg Oncol 2001;27:740)
Identify residual tumor posttreatment, but must pay attention to nature of cells, since CAM 5.2 may stain myofibroblasts and smooth muscle cells (Am J Surg Pathol 2007;31:390)
Distinguish metastatic carcinoma (CAM 5.2+, GFAP-) from glioblastoma multiforme (CAM 5.2-, GFAP+, Arch Pathol Lab Med 1999;123:917)
Part of a panel to distinguish uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex cord tumors (CAM 5.2+) from smooth muscle neoplasms (negative, Mod Pathol 2006;19:17)
Distinguish Paget's disease (CAM 5.2+) from pagetoid squamous cell carcinoma in situ (negative, J Cutan Pathol 2003;30:449)

Microscopic (histologic) images

Images hosted on other servers:

Breast: left-normal, right-carcinoma

Breast: metaplastic carcinoma

Choroid plexus: papilloma-pigmented

Ovary: female adnexal tumor of wolffian origin (fig 3A)

Liver: Mallory bodies in acute alcoholic hepatitis (fig 3)

Pancreas: ductal adenocarcinoma

Skin: dermatopathic
lymphadenitis
(dendritic cells are
CAM 5.2+)

Squamous cell carcinoma
is CAM5.2 negative (fig 7-left side)
but basal cell carcinoma
is CAM 5.2+ (fig 7-right side)

Quality control-various images

Images hosted on Flickr:

Small cell carcinoma: dot like staining

Positive staining - normal

Apocrine glands
Most epithelial cells including dendritic cells (J Clin Pathol 1989;42:271)
Hepatocytes
Toker cells (Virchows Arch 2002;441:117)
Trophoblast

Positive staining - disease

Most carcinomas, including sarcomatoid carcinoma; dot-like perinuclear pattern for small cell carcinoma
Adenomatoid tumor: Am J Surg Pathol 2003;27:969
Adrenal tumors: oncocytic (Am J Surg Pathol 1998;22:603, Am J Surg Pathol 2000;24:1552)
Appendix: myofibroblasts in appendicitis (Med Mol Morphol 2006;39:209) and gastric ulcer (Histol Histopathol 2006;21:697)
Breast: benign proliferative nipple duct lesions (Am J Surg Pathol 1999;23:1349)
CNS: astroblastoma (J Korean Med Sci 2004;19:772), choroid plexus papilloma (Histopathology 1989;15:61), meningioma-malignant (75%, Mod Pathol 2004;17:1129), meningioma-secretory
Esophagus: gangliocytic paraganglioma
Eye: melanoma of uvea (38%, Am J Pathol 1992;141:169)
GU: inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (67%, Am J Surg Pathol 2006;30:1502), postoperative spindle cell nodule
Heart: cardiac myxoma with glandular elements (Ir J Med Sci 1993;162:95)
Liver: Mallory bodies (Histopathology 1988;13:605)
Mesothelioma-malignant (Semin Diagn Pathol 2006;23:15) and benign cystic
Ovary: dysgerminoma (19%, Hum Pathol 2006;37:1015), ependymoma (60%), female adnexal tumours of probable Wolffian origin (Histopathology 2001;38:237), granulosa cell tumor-adult type (33-50%, Am J Surg Pathol 1992;16:962), Sertoli cell tumor
Prostate: adenocarcinoma-neuroendocrine cells (Prostate 2006;66:1399)
Skin: Paget’s disease (mammary and extramammary, J Cutan Pathol 2003;30:449, Am J Surg Pathol 1992;16:58)
Soft tissue: alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (52%, Mod Pathol 2008;21:795), angiosarcoma (variable), desmoplastic round cell tumor (Mod Pathol 2003;16:229), epithelioid sarcoma (J Cutan Pathol 2003;30:242), leiomyosarcoma-myxoid (25%), schwannoma-glandular (Br J Dermatol 2001;145:834), synovial sarcoma (71%, Histopathology 1986;10:1315)
Squamous cell carcinoma: usually (Semin Diagn Pathol 2006;23:15)
Testis: seminoma with atypia (Int J Surg Pathol 2002;10:23); 48% of mediastinal seminomas (Am J Surg Pathol 2008;32:146)
Trophoblastic tumors (Int J Gynecol Pathol 1986;5:345)
Uterus: endometrial stromal sarcoma (variable, Hum Pathol 2008;39:1459)

Negative staining

CNS: glioblastoma (Arch Pathol Lab Med 1999;123:917), most meningiomas, supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor
Melanoma: usually (Histopathology 1986;10:1315, Int J Dermatol 2003;42:123), Am J Surg Pathol 1997;21:1196, but uveal tumors are CAM 5.2+
Most sarcomas: exceptions indicated above