Keratin polypeptide composition as a biochemical tool for the discrimination of benign and malignant epithelial lesions in man.

An investigation was undertaken of the keratin polypeptides of various benign and malignant tumors of the human skin and vaginal epithelium by one and two dimensional gel electrophoresis. The keratin patterns of benign tumors were found to be similar to the patterns of normal epithelium or stratum corneum. The relative proportion of stratum-corneum associated keratin polypeptides to those polypeptides characteristic for the living layers corresponds to morphological features (e.g., hyperkeratosis, acanthosis). In contrast to benign tumors, epithelial carcinomas totally lack the group of high-molecular-weight keratins. This finding may be helpful in the diagnostic discrimination between benign and malignant epithelial lesions.