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Clinicopathologic and prognostic significance of the expression of mucins, simple mucin antigens and histoblood group antigens in papillary thyroid carcinoma

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Abstract

We have previously analyzed the expression of MUC1, underglycosylated MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC, Tn, sialyl Tn, Lewisa, sialyl Lewisa, Lewisx, and sialyl Lewisx in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The present study of 26 thoroughly scrutinized cases of PTC with “good” or “bad outcome” and a minimum of 10 yr of follow-up (or until death of the patients) was undertaken in an attempt to find if there is any relationship between the expression of the aforementioned antigens and the clinicopathologic and morphologic features of the cases and to evaluate the prognostic significance of the immunohistochemical pattern of PTC. We observed a significant or suggestive association between the expression of MUC1, underglycosylated MUC1, MUC2, Lewisa, and Lewisx and the older age of the patients, and a suggestive association between Lewisx expression and lymph node metastasis and venous invasion. There was also a strong correlation between extrathyroid invasion, lymph node metastasis, intrathyroid dissemination, and venous invasion and patients outcome thus demonstrating, once more, the prominence of the classic clinicopathologic and morphologic features in the prognostic evaluation of PTC. The immunohistochemical study of mucins, simple mucin antigens, and histo-blood group antigens did not provide additional prognostic information, but for the significant association of Lewisx immunoreactivity to the group of “bad outcome.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Pathology and Molecular Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Rua Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200, Porto, Portugal

    Pedro Alves, Paula Soares, Simone Rossi, Elsa Fonseca & Manuel Sobrinho-Simões MD, PhD

  2. Department of Pathology, University of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

    Simone Rossi

  3. Department of Pathology, Medical Faculty of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Elsa Fonseca & Manuel Sobrinho-Simões MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Pedro Alves
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  2. Paula Soares
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  3. Simone Rossi
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  4. Elsa Fonseca
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  5. Manuel Sobrinho-Simões MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Manuel Sobrinho-Simões MD, PhD.

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Alves, P., Soares, P., Rossi, S. et al. Clinicopathologic and prognostic significance of the expression of mucins, simple mucin antigens and histoblood group antigens in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Endocr Pathol 10, 305–313 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02739773

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