Galectin-3 Expression and BRAF Mutation in Cases of Cytologically Suspicious Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Fine needle aspiration, which is known as the most accurate and cost-effective method for diagnosis of thyroid nodule, still may result in indeterminate cases that are pauci-cellular and show minor nuclear atypia, but most cases are associated with suspicion of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). A B-type Raf kinase (BRAF) mutation was found in about half of PTCs and galectin-3 was expressed by malignant tumors, helping us to differentiate malignancies from benign lesions. METHODS: Cases studied included histologically 44 confirmed PTC cases and 18 benign cases previously diagnosed as suspicious of PTC using cytologic examination. Cases were analyzed for galectin-3 expression by immunohistochemical staining and BRAF mutation by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) with a new restriction enzyme. RESULTS: All 44 cases of PTC and 8 of 18 benign controls expressed galectin-3. BRAF mutations were found in only 9 of the 44 PTC cases. Assessment of galectin-3 expression demonstrated high sensitivity but low specificity. Evaluation of BRAF mutation revealed high specificity and low sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the combined application of these two methods for PTC of suspicious cytology is complementary.

A Case of Cancer Associated Retinopathy with Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / 결핵및호흡기질환

Cancer associated retinopathy (CAR) syndrome is a very rare ocular manifestation of paraneoplastic syndrome, and is characterized clinically by progressive visual impairment. Immune cross-reactivity between antigens in the cancerous tissue and antigens in the retina may play an important role in its pathogenesis, and most of cases are associated with lung carcinoma, particularly small cell lung cancer. The clinical triad of CAR is described as photosensitivity, ring scotomata, and an attenuated retinal arterial caliber. Here, we report a 61-year old male patient with CAR syndrome, who had small cell lung carcinoma in the stage of limited disease, with a brief review of the relevant literature.