A study on inorganic elements in psammomas from ovarian & thyroid cancer.

Background & objectives: Concentric lamellar calcifications known as psammoma bodies (PB) are found in benign and malignant tumours. Whether or not the inorganic element concentrations in psammomas are similar to serous adenocarcinoma of the ovary and thyroid papillary cancer tissues has not yet been ascertained. We undertook this retrospective study to establish if there is any difference in the concentrations of inorganic ions found in psammomas in serous adenocarcinoma of the ovary, and those found in thyroid papillary cancer tissue. Methods: PB samples from patients with adenocarcinoma of the ovary (n = 10) and with thyroid papillary cancer (n = 10) were analyzed through inductively-coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP). Results: There were no significant differences in the concentrations of inorganic elements in PB from thyroid papillary cancer than in those PB from ovarian cancer. Interpretation & conclusions: Differences in the concentrations of inorganic elements may be due to the variation in environmental pollution. Our study had limitation of small sample size. Our results suggest that some inorganic elements can participate in the origin of psammoma bodies.

Foxp3 expression is associated with aggressiveness in differentiated thyroid carcinomas

OBJECTIVES: Forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) expression has been observed in human cancer cells but has not yet been reported in thyroid cells. We investigated the prognostic significance of both FoxP3 expression and intratumoral FoxP3+ lymphocyte infiltration in differentiated thyroid carcinoma cells. METHODS: We constructed a tissue microarray with 385 thyroid tissues, including 266 malignant tissues (from 253 papillary thyroid carcinomas and 13 follicular carcinomas), 114 benign lesions, and 5 normal thyroid tissues. RESULTS: We determined the expression of FoxP3 in both tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes using immunohistochemical techniques. Cellular expression of FoxP3 was evident in 71% of benign and 91.9% of malignant tissues. The nuclear and cytoplasmic expression patterns were quantified separately. A multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that cytoplasmic FoxP3 expression is an independent risk factor for thyroid malignancy. Cytoplasmic FoxP3 staining was inversely correlated with patient age. Nuclear FoxP3 staining was more intense in younger patients and in tumors presenting with metastasis at diagnosis. FoxP3+ lymphocytes were more frequent in tumors smaller than 2 cm, those without extrathyroidal invasion, and in patients with concurrent chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated FoxP3 expression in differentiated thyroid carcinoma cells and found evidence that this expression may exert an important influence on several features of tumor aggressiveness.

Expressão citofotométrica da Caspase-3 no carcinoma papilífero da tireóide e no bócio colóide / Citophotometric expression of Caspase-3 in papillary thyroid carcinoma in nodular goiter colloid

OBJETIVO: Descrever a expressão citofotométrica quantitativa do marcador caspase-3 no bócio colóide e no carcinoma papilífero da tireóide e comparar a imunoexpessão entre as doenças. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se estudo imunoistoquímico da proteína caspase-3 em 17 blocos de parafina de carcinoma papilífero da tiróide e 20 de bócio colóide, através do sistema SAMBA 4000 - (Sistema de análise microscópica de busca automática), objetivando-se analisar duas variáveis: índice de marcagem e densidade óptica. RESULTADOS: Houve diferença significativa quanto ao índice de marcagem da caspase-3, entre o bócio colóide e o carcinoma papilífero, sendo maior no carcinoma, e não foi encontrada diferença significativa quanto à densidade óptica. Para o bócio colóide, o coeficiente de correlação estimado entre o índice de marcagem e a densidade óptica foi igual a 0,72, indicando assim, a rejeição da hipótese nula (p <0,001), afirmando-se que existe associação positiva e significativa entre o índice de marcagem e a densidade óptica da caspase-3. Para o carcinoma papilífero da tiróide, o coeficiente de correlação estimado entre o índice de marcagem e a densidade óptica 3 foi de 0,34. O resultado do teste estatístico indicou que não se pode afirmar que existe associação entre esses parâmetros. CONCLUSÃO: Para o bócio colóide existe associação positiva e significativa entre as duas variáveis, índice de marcagem e a densidade óptica da caspase-3, enquanto que para o carcinoma papilífero não existe essa associação. O estudo comparativo entre a análise quantitativa da caspase-3, demonstrou que a apoptose é mais evidente no carcinoma papilífero do que no bócio colóide.

OBJECTIVE: To describe quantitative cytophotometric expression of the marker caspase-3 in colloid goiter and in papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, comparing the immunoexpression between them. METHODS: An immunohistochemistry study has been made on the protein caspase-3 in 17 of paraffin blocks of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid and 20 cases of colloid goiter, using SAMBA 4000 ® (System of Microscopic Analysis of Automatic Search), aiming analysis of the two variables: marker index and optical density. RESULTS: Statistic analysis indicated a significant difference for marker index between colloid goiter and papillary carcinoma, being this difference larger in the carcinoma. It hasn't been found significant difference in optical density. For colloid goiter, the estimated correlation coefficient between the marker index and optical density was 0,72, indicating the rejection of the null hypothesis (p <0,001), affirming that positive and significant association exists between them. For the papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, the same correlation was 0,34 and so, it is not possible to affirm that there's an association between them. CONCLUSION: For colloid goiter there is a positive and significant association between the two variables - marker index and optical density -, while for the papillary carcinoma, this is not proved. The quantitative analysis for caspase-3 demonstrates that apoptosis is larger in the papillary carcinoma of the thyroid than in colloid goiter.

Utilidad de la detección de tiroglobulina en el aspirado de punción ganglionar cervical en el seguimiento de pacientes con cancer papilar de tiroides / Thyroglobulin levels in needle lymph node cytology for the detection of papillary thyroid cancer recurrence

Background: During the detection ofneck recurrence in patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC), sometimes it is difficult to distinguish metastatic from inflammatory neck lymph nodes. The measurement of serum thyroglobulin (sTg) under thyroid hormone suppression therapy the presence of serum thyroglobulin antibodies (sAbTg), the diagnostic whole body sean and cytology can give false negative results. Measurement of thyroglobulin in the washout fluid from fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of suspicious neck lymph nodes could improve the diagnostic aecuracy Aim: To evaluate the usefulness of detecting Tg in lymph nodes (LTg) suspicious by ultrasonography (US) and compare it to cytology. Patients and Methods: Between the years 2004 and 2007 we prospectively studied 30 patients with PTC and cervical US findings of suspicious recurrence. LTg was assayed in US guided FNAB used for cytology. Results: Sixteen out of 30 patients underwent surgery using as selective criteria an LTg higher than sTg or a positive cytology. Surgery confirmed the presence of metástasis in all 15 patients with positive LTg (8 with positive cytology) and in 1 patient with negative LTg and positive cytology (a case with undifferentiated thyroid cancer). The sensitivity was 93.7 percent for LTg and 56.2 percent for cytology. We identified byLTg 3 of 6 patients with undetectable sTg and positive sAbTg. Conclusions: The presence of LTg showed a higher sensitivity than cytology for the detection of cervical lymph node metástasis. This method is useful even in the presence ofsAbTg.

DNA measurements after radiation - induced tissue structure of thyroid gland of rats

INTRODUÇAO: A exposição da tireóide à irradiação está associada à alteração do componente cromossômico nessa glândula. OBJETIVO: Avaliar o conteúdo de DNA (ploidia) em glândula tireóide submetida à radiação. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Foram irradiadas tireóides de 75 ratos; 25 foram usados como grupo controle e não sofreram irradiação. A exposição à irradiação foi realizada com o uso de Cobalt-60 na região cervical anterior direita com espaço de 3-30cm, com anel traqueal de 2º e 6º e dose de 600 centigrays (cGY). O conteúdo de DNA (ploidia) foi obtido com o método de Feulgen-Thionin e quantificado com o aparelho CAS 200 de citometria estática. RESULTADO: Dos 92 casos, 88 (95,7 por cento) foram diplóides, independente do tempo de exposição; aneuploidia foi observada em quatro casos (4,3 por cento), somente no grupo sacrificado aos 33 dias. Oito casos foram excluídos por problemas técnicos. CONCLUSAO: A irradiação afeta muito precocemente o conteúdo de DNA nuclear levando a aneuploidia.

Immunohistochemistry of thyroid carcinoma--an experience with thyroglobulin and calcitonin.

A retrospective immunohistochemical study of 33 cases of primary thyroid carcinomas and 5 cases of metastases to thyroid was carried out. The immunostaining for thyroglobulin and calcitonin was done by peroxidase-anti-peroxidase (PAP) technique. The optimum staining results were obtained by proper standardisation of the staining procedure and reagents. The sections were systematically evaluated for immunostaining intensity and distribution. The observations revealed that thyroglobulin and calcitonin could be useful as sensitive and specific histogenetic markers for follicular and parafollicular cell derived thyroid carcinomas respectively. However, there was no absolute correlation between thyroglobulin positivity and grade of differentiation. The immunostaining could not differentiate follicular adenoma from follicular carcinoma. More extensive study using other markers may be useful for better patient management.

Differentiation of follicular adenoma and carcinoma of thyroid by immunohistochemical demonstration of ceruloplasmin.

In this study, and attempt was made to differentiate between follicular neoplasms of the thyroid using an immunoperoxidase staining technique for detection of ceruloplasmin. 54 histologically proved benign and malignant thyroidal lesions were selected. The staining for ceruloplasmin was consistently positive in follicular carcinoma and negative in follicular adenoma.

Immunohistochemical staining for thyroglobulin in poorly differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid.

Paraffin sections of 14 specimens of poorly differentiated tumours of the thyroid were stained for thyroglobulin using polyclonal antibodies and a streptavidin-biotin peroxidase staining system. The better differentiated areas showed positive staining, while the poorly differentiated areas gave weakly positive or negative staining. Thyroglobulin staining is useful in attributing a thyroid epithelial cell origin to a tumour, but negative staining does not exclude this.

Clinical evaluation of serum thyroglobulin measurements in the follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma

As concentraçöes séricas de tireoglobulina (Tg), T3, T4 e TSH foram analisadas em 52 pacientes com carcinoma diferenciado de tireóide após tireoidectomia total, enquanto a medicaçäo supressiva por L-tiroxina havia sido suspensa. Mapeamento ósseo, radiografia torácica e mapeamento radioisotópico de corpo inteiro (MRCI) foram igualmente solicitados. Os pacientes foram divididos em três grupos: G1) sem remanescente tissular tireóideo na área cervical (n=12); G2) com remanescente tissular tireóideo cervical mas sem metástases locais ou distantes (n=27); e G3) com a presença de metástases pulmonares, ósseas ou cervicais (n=13). As concentraçöes de Tg séricas foram, respectivamente (média DP): 99 + ou - 5,7 µg/L (G1), 29,9 + ou - 22,9 µg/L (G2) e 564,8 + ou - 833,4 µg/L (G3). Observou-se correlaçäo significativa entre os achados clínicos, a presença de MRCI positivo ou negativo e o nível de Tg sérica. As concentraçöes séricas de Tg revelaram-se mais sensíveis que o MRCI para detecçäo de eventual metástase, apesar de haver certo grau de superposiçäo de valores de Tg sérica entre os pacientes dos grupos 2 e 3. Em outro grupo de pacientes (n=141) com diagnóstico prévio de câncer de tireóide diferenciado, analisou-se a Tg sérica por método imunorradiométrico (IRMA), enquanto os indivíduos se achavam sob a açäo de doses supressivas de L-tiroxina. A Tg sérica mostrou-se näo detectável (<1,0 µg/L) em 94 por cento dos pacientes do grupo 1 (sem remanescente tireóideo) e em 75 por cento dos indivíduos do grupo 2. A Tg sérica variou de <1,0 µg/L até 88 µg/L nos pacientes dos grupos 3 e 4. Concluímos que o método IRMA usando dois anticorpos monoclonais é mais sensível e permite melhor acompanhamento, com mais segurança, do paciente com diagnóstico prévio de câncer de tireóide. Recomenda-se que a verificaçäo da Tg sérica seja realizada com um MRCI em pacientes tireoidectomizados, pelo menos na fase inicial.