KRT18 and neoplasm: However, the association of cytokeratins with CRC progression and survival is more complex: Colonocyte differentiation associated cytokeratins, CK20 and CK8, may be partially lost during EMT or invasion, but other cytokeratins, such as CK7, CK18, and CK19, have been associated with increased tumor burden, tumor budding, invasion, or poor survival [22].