Peripheral Versus Intraparenchymal Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: Different Morphologies and PD-L1 Expression

Peripheral localisation of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), in comparison with intraparenchymal PTMC (i-PTMC) is related to some clinicopathological features related with biological aggressiveness, including lymph node metastasis (LNM). The expression of PD-L1 in tumour cell has been associated with increased tumour survival, progression, and potentially an aggressive clinical course. This study evaluates the relation between clinicopathological features of PTMC, including tumour localisation, with PD-L1 immunoexpression. The study included 99 patients with the histological diagnosis of PTMC (≥ 5 mm). PD-L1 protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. PTMCs were divided into the four following groups: G1- peripherally localised PTMC (p-PTMC) with PD-L1 expression; G2-p-PTMC without PD-L1 expression; G3-i-PTMC with PD-L1 expression and G4-i-PTMC without PD-L1 expression. G1 was the most frequent (n = 46; 46.5%), followed by G4 (n = 25; 25.3%) and similar distribution of G3 (n = 15; 15.2%) and G2 (n = 13; 13.1%). In comparison with other groups, G1 was significantly associated with classical morphology, invasive growth, lymphatic invasion (LI), vascular invasion (VI), psammoma bodies, intratumoral fibrosis, PD-L1 positive tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, and multinuclear giant cells (MGCs). G4 more commonly exhibited follicular morphology, expansive/circumscribed growth, and absence of the following: intratumoural fibrosis, LI, VI, psammoma bodies, PD-L1 positive tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, and MGCs. LNMs were significantly more frequent in G1 in comparison with the other groups (p = 0.000). In conclusion, morphology and tumour microenvironment of p-PTMC with PD-L1 expression is different from i-PTMC without PD-L1 expression. The differences between these two groups of PTMC include clinicopathological features related with biological aggressiveness such as the occurrence of LNM.