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Updated: Apr 20, 2026
Spontaneous Murine Model of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer
Published on: February 3, 2023
Expression of the embryonic morphogen Nodal in differentiated thyroid carcinomas: Immunohistochemistry assay in
Young Jun Chai1, Young A Kim2, Hyeon-Gun Jee3
1Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital and College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Background:
Nodal, an embryonic morphogen, plays a role in tumorigenesis of melanoma, breast, and prostate cancer; however, its role in thyroid carcinoma is unknown. We examined Nodal expression in thyroid tumors by immunohistochemistry assay and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) analysis.
Methods:
An immunohistochemistry assay was performed in a tissue microarray comprising 128 classic papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC), 58 follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTC), 19 follicular variants of PTC (FVPTC), 57 follicular adenomas (FA), 54 adenomatous goiters (AG), and 5 normal thyroid tissues. The TCGA database was examined to evaluate the expression of Nodal mRNA in normal thyroid and PTC.
Results:
The proportion of tumors showing negative Nodal expression in PTC, FTC, FVPTC, FA, and AG was 0%, 1.7%, 0%, 14%, and 41%, respectively. For the diagnosis of malignant tumors, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of positive Nodal staining was 99%, 27%, 72%, and 97%, respectively. High Nodal expression was associated with older age and BRAF mutation in PTC. TCGA analysis revealed PTC had greater Nodal mRNA expression than normal thyroid (P = .012).
Conclusion:
Nodal staining might be useful "rule-out test" for the diagnosis of malignant thyroid tumor. Nodal may be associated with the tumorigenesis of thyroid malignancy.
