Abstract
Purpose: :
To report a rare case of an advanced corneal intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). We investigated the differentiative state and cell-cycle change.
Methods: :
A healthy 87-year-old man was presented with a lesion that completely covered his left ocular surface and involved 360 degrees of his left corneal limbus. Surgical excision was performed. For this tissue, immunohistochemical examination was performed employing antibodies directed against cytokeratin 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12-17, as well as keratinization-related proteins transglutaminase1, involucrin, loricrin, filaggrin, and SPRR2. TUNEL assay was used to reveal the CIN cell-cycle by immunolocalization of the Ki67 and hTERT proteins and apoptotic cells.
Results: :
CIN expressed the cornea-specific markers cytokeratin 3 and 12, and also expressed cytokeratin 4 and 13 which are known as the mucous-specific markers such as for normal conjunctival tissue. The expression pattern of the keratinization-related proteins was detected in all layers of the CIN, however, the CIN showed not only complete keratinization, but also parakeratinization. Ki67 expression was localized in the lower layer of the CIN, and TUNEL-positive cells were highly detected in the upper layer of the CIN.
Conclusions: :
The CIN cells in this study seem to have a cellular feature similar to corneal epithelial cells. Also, the CIN cells appear to have a negligible level of fundamental anti-tumor activity even after carcinogenic transformation.
Keywords: cornea: epithelium • tumors • immunohistochemistry