Thyroid peroxidase and galectin-3 immunostaining in differentiated thyroid carcinoma with clinicopathologic...

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Pathology

Background:

• Thyroperoxidase (TPO) and galectin-3 are established immunohistochemical markers for thyroid malignancy.
• Their utility in differentiating benign from malignant thyroid lesions requires further clinical validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between TPO and galectin-3 expression and clinicopathologic features in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).
• To assess the diagnostic sensitivity of TPO and galectin-3, individually and in combination, for DTC.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemical analysis of 193 archival thyroid tissue samples (follicular adenomas, follicular carcinomas, papillary carcinomas).
• Evaluation of TPO underexpression (<50% stained thyrocytes) and galectin-3 expression (>5% stained thyrocytes).

Main Results:

• TPO was underexpressed and galectin-3 was expressed in most DTCs.
• Diagnostic sensitivity was 86.1% for TPO and 82.4% for galectin-3; combined sensitivity reached 94.5%.
• TPO absence and high galectin-3 expression correlated with advanced tumor stage, size, nodal involvement, and extrathyroidal invasion in papillary carcinoma. Galectin-3 positivity was linked to invasiveness in follicular carcinoma.

Conclusions:

• The combination of TPO and galectin-3 immunohistochemistry enhances diagnostic accuracy for DTC.
• Marker expression patterns correlate with aggressive clinicopathologic features and biological behavior in DTC, suggesting prognostic value.