Follicular neoplasms of the thyroid

Immunohistochemistry

Galectin-3 shows the most intense staining in the advancing tongues of minimally invasive follicular carcinoma2,5 and may be helpful in differentiating a follicular adenoma from a minimally invasive carcinoma. Matrix metalloproteinases may also be helpful in distinguishing minimally invasive follicular carcinoma from adenoma.

Differential diagnosis

• The follicular variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.

References

Diagnostic histopathology of tumors. Edited by CDM Fletcher. 2nd edition. Churchill Livingstone. Pages 991.

1Bejarano, P.A., Nikiforov, Y.E., Swenson, E.S. and Biddinger, P.W. Thyroid transcription factor-1, thyroglobulin, cytokeratin 7, and cytokeratin 20 in thyroid neoplasms. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol 2000;8:189-94.

2Beesley, M.F. and McLaren, K.M. Cytokeratin 19 and galectin-3 immunohistochemistry in the differential diagnosis of solitary thyroid nodules. Histopathology 2002;41:236-43.

3Cvejic, D., Savin, S., Paunovic, I., Tatic, S., Havelka, M. and Sinadinovic, J. Immunohistochemical localization of galectin-3 in malignant and benign human thyroid tissue. Anticancer Res 1998;18:2637-41.

4Fernandez, P.L., Merino, M.J., Gomez, M., Campo, E., Medina, T., Castronovo, V., Sanjuan, X., Cardesa, A., Liu, F.T. and Sobel, M.E. Galectin-3 and laminin expression in neoplastic and non-neoplastic thyroid tissue. J Pathol 1997;181:80-6.

5Bartolazzi, A., Gasbarri, A., Papotti, M., Bussolati, G., Lucante, T., Khan, A., Inohara, H., Marandino, F., Orlandi, F., Nardi, F., Vecchione, A., Tecce, R. and Larsson, O. Application of an immunodiagnostic method for improving preoperative diagnosis of nodular thyroid lesions. Lancet 2001;357:1644-50.

This page last revised 12.6.2001.