Thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor affects metastasis and prognosis in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Endocrine therapy for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) using thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) inhibition lacks clear mechanistic understanding.
• The role of the TSH receptor (TSHR) in PTC pathogenesis and treatment response requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the expression patterns of TSHR in PTC tissues.
• To determine the prognostic significance of TSHR expression in PTC patients.
• To explore the functional role of the TSH-TSHR signaling pathway in PTC cell behavior in vitro.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemistry was used to assess TSHR expression in 150 PTC and 21 normal thyroid tissue samples.
• Kaplan-Meier, log-rank, and Cox regression analyses were employed for survival analysis.
• In vitro experiments examined the effects of TSH-TSHR signaling on differentiated thyroid carcinoma cell lines.

Main Results:

• TSHR was expressed in 68% of PTC cases.
• TSHR expression emerged as an independent prognostic factor for PTC patients over 45 years old (p = 0.006).
• TSHR expression was associated with reduced distant metastasis (p = 0.024) and in vitro studies showed TSHR upregulation promoted apoptosis and inhibited metastasis without affecting proliferation.

Conclusions:

• TSHR expression is a significant independent prognostic factor in PTC, particularly for patients over 45.
• TSHR may play a role in reducing distant metastasis in older PTC patients.
• Upregulation of TSHR can induce apoptosis and inhibit metastasis in PTC cells, offering potential therapeutic insights.