Skip to main content
Log in

T lymphocytes, CD68-positive cells and vascularisation in thyroid carcinomas

  • Original Papers
  • Experimental Oncology
  • Published:
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Immunohistochemical detection and quantification of CD3-and CD45RO-positive lymphocytes and CD68-positive cells in 75 thyroid carcinomas of follicular cell origin revealed rising levels for these parameters associated with dedifferentiation. A parallel trend towards reduction of vascularisation, determined as CD31-positive blood vessels, with decreasing differentiation became evident, statistically only significant when well-differentiated follicular and anaplastic carcinomas were compared. Positive correlations could be demonstrated between the density of CD68-, CD3-, and CD45RO-positive cells as well as between the density of CD68-, and CD3-, and CD45RO-positive cells and vascularisation. These correlations were expected, as the interaction of CD68-positive cells and T lymphocytes results in the production of angiogenesis factors, ultimately leading to better vascularisation of the tumour. Nevertheless, the tumour cells themselves are variously capable of producing angiogenic substances. The obvious lack of positive correlation between the density of tumour-infiltrating cells determined in this study and vascularisation, despite reduced vascularisation in less differentiated tumours that contained increasing numbers of tumour-infiltrating cells, seems to be due to functional heterogeneity of morphologically similar, tumours.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albelda SM, Muller WA, Buck CA, Newman PJ (1991) Molecular and cellular properties of PECAM-1 (endoCAM/CD31): a novel vascular cell-cell adhesion molecule. J Cell Biol 114:1059–1068

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen LE, Maher PA (1993) Expression of basic fibroblast growth factor and its receptors in an invasive bladder carcinoma cell line. J Cell Physiol 155:368–375

    Google Scholar 

  • Beverley PCL, Merkenschlager M, Terry L (1988) Phenotypic diversity of the CD45 antigen and its relationship to function. Immunology 64 [Suppl 1]:3–5

    Google Scholar 

  • DiPietro LA, Polverini PJ (1993) Angiogenic macrophages produce the angiogenic inhibitor thrombospodin 1. Am J Pathol 143:678–684

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn SD, Forman BH, Stewart AF, Kinder BK (1988) Poorly differentiated („insular”) carcinoma of the thyroid gland: an aggressive subset of differentiated thyroid neoplasms. Surgery 104:963–970

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox SB, Gatter KC, Bicknell R, Going JJ, Stanton P, Cooke TG, Harris AL (1993) Relationship of endothelial cell proliferation to tumor vascularity in human breast cancer. Cancer Res 53:4161–4163

    Google Scholar 

  • Furukawa T, Watanabe S, Kodama T, Sato Y, Shimosato Y, Suemasu K (1985) T-zone histiocytes in adenocarcinoma of the lung in relation to postoperative prognosis. Cancer 56:2651–2656

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomez-Morales M, Alvaro T, Munoz M, Garcia Del Moral R, Aguilar D, Caballero T, Aneiros J (1991) Diffuse sclerosing papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland: immunohistochemical analysis of the local host immune response. Histopathology 18:427–433

    Google Scholar 

  • Harach HS, Jasani B, Williams ED (1983) Factor VIII as a marker of endothelial cells in follicular carcinoma of the thyroid. J Clin Pathol 36:1050–1054

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart IR, Saini A (1992). Biology of tumour metastasis. Lancet 339:1453–1457

    Google Scholar 

  • Horak ER, Leek R, Klenk N, Lejeune S, Smith K, Stuart N, Greenall M, Stepniewska K, Harris AL (1992) Angiogenesis, assessed by platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule antibodies, as indicator of node metastases in breast cancer. Lancet 340:1120–1124

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu H-C, Chiou T-J, Chen J-Y, Lee C-S, Lee P-H, Peng S-Y (1991) Clonality and clonal evolution of hepatocellular carcinoma with multiple nodes. Hepatology 13:923–928

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu S-M, Raine L, Fanger H (1981) Use of avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) in immunoperoxidase techniques: a comparison between ABC and unlabeled antibody (PAP) procedures. J Histochem Cytochem 29:577–580

    Google Scholar 

  • Inoue K, Furihata M, Ohtsuki Y, Fujita Y (1993) Distribution of S-100 protein-positive dendritic cells and expression of HLA-DR antigen in transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in relation to tumour progression and prognosis. Virchows Arch [A] 422:351–355

    Google Scholar 

  • Ito T, Kitamura H, Nakamura N, Kameda Y, Kanisawa M (1993) A comparative study of vascular proliferation in brain metastasis of lung carcinomas. Virchows Arch [A] 423:13–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamma H, Fujii K, Ogata T (1988) Lymphocytic infiltration in juvenile thyroid carcinoma. Cancer 62:1988–1993

    Google Scholar 

  • Koch AE, Polverini PJ, Kunkel SL, Harlow LA, DiPietro LA, Elner VM, Elner SG, Strieter RM (1992) Interleukin-8 as a macrophagederived mediator of angiogenesis. Science 258:1798–1801

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolbeck PC, Kaveggia FF, Johansson SL, Grune MT, Taylor RJ (1992) The relationships among tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, hisopathologic findings, and long-term clinical follow-up in renal cell carcinoma. Mod Pathol 5:420–425

    Google Scholar 

  • Plate KH, Breier G, Weich HA, Risau W (1992) Vascular endothelial growth factor is a potential tumour angiogenesis factor in human gliomas in vivo. Nature 359:845–848

    Google Scholar 

  • Poppema S, Lai R, Visser L (1991) Monoclonal antibody OPD4 is reactive with CD45RO, but differs from UCHL1 by the absence of monocyte reactivity. Am J Pathol 139:725–729

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakamoto A, Kasai N, Sugano H (1983) Poorly differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid. A clinicopathologic entity for a high-risk group of papillary and follicular carcinomas. Cancer 52:1849–1855

    Google Scholar 

  • Schröder S, Schwarz W, Rehpenning W, Löning T, Böcker W (1988) Dendritic/Langerhans cells and prognosis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinomas. Immunocytochemical study of 106 thyroid neoplasms correlated to follow-up data. Am J Clin Pathol 89:295–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Schröder S, Bay V, Dumke K, Kremens B, Müller-Gärtner H-W, Böcker W, Kastendieck H (1990) Diffuse sclerosing variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma. S-100 protein immunocytochemistry and prognosis. Virchows Arch [A] 416:367–371

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson WJ, McKinney SE, Carruthers JS, Gospodarowicz MK, Sutcliffe SB, Panzarella T (1987) Papillary and follicular thyroid cancer. Prognostic factors in 1,578 patients. Am J Med 83:479–488

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith SA, Hay ID, Goellner JR, Ryan JJ, McConahey WM (1988) Mortality from papillary thyroid carcinoma. A case-control study of 56 lethal cases. Cancer 62:1381–1388

    Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi K, Kudo J, Ishibashi H, Hirata Y, Niho Y (1993) Frequent loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 22 in hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology 17:794–799

    Google Scholar 

  • Terry LA, Brown MH, Beverley PCL (1988) The monoclonal antibody, UCHL1, recognizes a 180,000 MW component of the human leucocyte-common antigen, CD45. Immunology 64:331–336

    Google Scholar 

  • Thiele J, Braeckel C, Wagner S, Falini B, Dienemann D, Stein H, Fischer R (1992) Macrophages in normal human bone marrow and in chronic myeloproliferative disorders: an immunohistochemical an morphometric study by a new monoclonal antibody (PG-M1) on trephine biopsies. Virchows Arch [A] 421:33–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Tscholl-Ducommun J, Hedinger CE (1982) Papillary thyroid carcinomas. Morphology and prognosis. Virchows Arch [A] 396:19–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsujitani S, Furukawa T, Tanada R, Okamura T, Yasumoto K, Sugimachi K (1987) Langerhans cells and prognosis in patients with gastric carcinoma. Cancer 59:501–505

    Google Scholar 

  • Weidner N, Semple JP, Welch WR, Folkman J (1991) Tumor angiogenesis and metastasis—correlation in invasive breast carcinoma. N Engl J Med 324:1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoshino T, Mukuzono H, Aoki H, Takahashi K, Takeuchi T, Kubonishi I, Ohtsuki Y, Motoi M, Akagi T (1989) A novel antibody (OPD4) recognizing a helper/inducer T cell subset. Am J Pathol 134:1339–1346

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Herrmann, G., Schumm-Draeger, PM., Müller, C. et al. T lymphocytes, CD68-positive cells and vascularisation in thyroid carcinomas. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 120, 651–656 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01245376

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01245376

Key words

Navigation