Histological and immunohistochemical aspects of papillary thyroid cancer

Papillary thyroid carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies of the endocrine system. In recent years, its incidence has increased worldwide, including children, which concerns the entire community. Although the histopathological diagnosis seems rather easy, the existence of particular forms of thyroid cancer and the inclusion of the follicular aspect as a variant of papillary carcinoma lead to diagnostic confusion. Therefore, in the last 20 years were reviewed several immunohistochemical markers, which are useful in the positive and differential diagnosis, and which offer better data on disease prognosis. Our study included a total of 27 cases of papillary carcinomas, which we evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of Ki-67, p53, p63, E-cadherin, CD56, calretinin, and bcl-2 markers. The most intense expression was found in p53, E-cadherin, and bcl-2. Ki-67 and p63 expression were moderate and inconsistent, and CD56 and calretinin had a negative expression in all cases.