Podocalyxin expression in undifferentiated thyroid carcinomas
- H Yasuoka1,
- M Tsujimoto2,
- M Hirokawa4,
- M Tori3,
- M Nakahara3,
- A Miyauchi5,
- R Kodama1,
- T Sanke1,
- Y Nakamura1
- 1Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan
- 2Department of Pathology, Osaka Police Hospital, Osaka, Japan
- 3Department of Surgery, Osaka Police Hospital, Osaka, Japan
- 4Department of Pathology, Kuma Hospital, Kobe, Japan
- 5Department of Surgery, Kuma Hospital, Kobe, Japan
- Dr Y Nakamura, Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, 811-1, Kimiidera, 641-8509 Wakayama City, Japan; ynakamur{at}wakayama-med.ac.jp
- Accepted 12 August 2008
Podocalyxin, a CD34-related transmembrane sialomucin that is expressed on haematopoietic progenitors, vascular endothelia and kidney podocytes, has been detected in the development of some of the more aggressive forms of cancer.1 2 Immunohistochemical assessment of podocalyxin expression might be useful to evaluate the aggressive forms of thyroid cancers. In this study, podocalyxin expression was studied in 238 thyroid tumours, and was identified only in undifferentiated thyroid carcinomas (UTCs). In cases of coexisting undifferentiated and differentiated thyroid carcinomas, podocalyxin immunohistochemistry is helpful to distinguish UTCs from other differentiated carcinomas.
Methods
Various thyroid tumours constituting a total of 238 cases were selected from the surgical …
