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Clinical Significance of Hu-Antigen Receptor (HuR) and Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) Expression in Human Malignant and Benign Thyroid Lesions

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Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

Hu-antigen R (HuR) is considered to play a crucial role in tumor formation and growth by binding to mRNAs encoding proteins such as Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducing their expression via mRNA stabilization and/or altered translation. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of HuR and COX-2 proteins’ expression in human benign and malignant thyroid lesions. HuR and COX-2 proteins’ expression was assessed immunohistochemically on paraffin-embedded thyroid tissues obtained from 98 patients with benign (n = 48) and malignant (n = 50) lesions and was statistically analyzed with clinicopathological parameters, follicular cells’ proliferative capacity and recurrence risk rate. Enhanced HuR and COX-2 expression was significantly more frequently observed in malignant compared to benign thyroid lesions (p = 0.0073 and p = 0.0016, respectively), as well as in papillary carcinomas compared to hyperplastic nodules (p = 0.0039 and p = 0.0009, respectively). Positive associations of both HuR and COX-2 expression with follicular cells’ proliferation rate were also noted (p = 0.0087 and p = 0.0127, respectively). In malignant thyroid lesions, elevated COX-2 expression was significantly associated with female patients’ gender (p = 0.0381) and the presence of lymph node metastases (p = 0.0296). The present data support evidence that both HuR and COX-2 may be involved in the malignant state of thyroid neoplasia and may be utilized in the diagnosis of malignant thyroid tumors.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ms. Eugenie Ventouri for her excellent technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 M. Asias str., GR11527, Goudi, Athens, Greece

    Constantinos Giaginis, Paraskevi Alexandrou, Ioanna Delladetsima, Ioannis Karavokyros, Eugene Danas, Athina Giagini, Efstratios Patsouris & Stamatios Theocharis

  2. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of the Aegean, Myrina, Lemnos, Greece

    Constantinos Giaginis

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  1. Constantinos Giaginis
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Correspondence to Stamatios Theocharis.

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All authors verify that they have not accepted any funding or support from an organization that may in any way gain or lose financially from the results of the present study. All authors verify that they have not been employed by an organization that may in any way gain or lose financially from the results of the present study. None authors have any other conflicting interest.

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Giaginis, C., Alexandrou, P., Delladetsima, I. et al. Clinical Significance of Hu-Antigen Receptor (HuR) and Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) Expression in Human Malignant and Benign Thyroid Lesions. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 22, 189–196 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-015-9997-5

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