Oestrogen receptors in well differentiated thyroid cancers

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Pathology

Background:

• Well-differentiated thyroid cancers (WDTC) show a higher incidence and better prognosis in females.
• The role of oestrogen receptor (ER) in thyroid cancer development and progression is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER) in a cohort of well-differentiated thyroid cancers.
• To determine if ER expression correlates with the observed gender-based differences in WDTC incidence and prognosis.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemical staining using oestrogen receptor (ER) monoclonal antibody H222 on 47 paraffin-embedded WDTC samples.
• Enhanced immunoreaction sensitivity through trypsinisation, DNase I digestion, and a labelled streptavidin biotin staining kit.

Main Results:

• Oestrogen receptor (ER) expression was detected in only 2 out of 47 (4.3%) well-differentiated thyroid cancer cases.
• One case of papillary carcinoma and one case of follicular carcinoma showed positive ER immunoreactivity.

Conclusions:

• Oestrogen receptor (ER) expression is infrequent in well-differentiated thyroid cancers.
• The observed gender disparity in WDTC incidence and prognosis is unlikely to be attributed to the presence or absence of ER.