Antigenic Differences and Further Perspectives on the Differential Diagnosis of Skin Tumors

Abstract

Frozen sections from squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), precancerous lesions (P.C.) and normal skin adjacent to lesions (N.S.) were studied by indirect immunoperoxidase for the detection of epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and by PAP (peroxidase‐antiperoxidase) for total keratin (T.K.) and laminin (LM) to determine the significance of the appearance of neoantigens and the behavior of normal epidermal antigens during the process of carcinogenesis of the skin. Significant antigenic differences in all three antigens were revealed between SCCs and BCCs in the epidermis (EP) and tumor islands (T.I.). There were also significant differences in total keratin and laminin between SCC's and N.S. epidermis. SCCs did not show any significant differences in EMA from P.C. lesions, but T.K. was lower in P.C. lesions than in normal skin.