High expression of CD10 in anaplastic thyroid carcinomas

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• CD10 is an endopeptidase involved in extracellular matrix degradation and intracellular signaling.
• CD10 expression is well-documented in various epithelial cancers.
• Its role in thyroid carcinomas, particularly anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC), remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate CD10 expression in a diverse range of thyroid lesions.
• To specifically assess CD10 presence in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC).

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was employed to examine CD10.
• 152 thyroid lesions were analyzed, including 47 anaplastic carcinomas, 9 adenomatous goitres, and other tumors.

Main Results:

• Nearly all anaplastic thyroid carcinomas (ATCs) exhibited strong, diffuse CD10 positivity in their epithelial components.
• Focal CD10 reactivity was observed in epithelia with squamous metaplasia or oncocytic changes in other thyroid lesions.
• Fibroblast-like stromal cells and fibrous material in some papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) and ATC components showed CD10 positivity.

Conclusions:

• CD10 expression patterns vary significantly across different thyroid histotypes.
• Elevated CD10 expression may serve as a diagnostic marker for identifying anaplastic components in primary thyroid carcinomas, provided metastatic and non-epithelial tumors are ruled out.