Proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pathology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid malignancy.
• Understanding the factors influencing PTC progression is crucial for patient management.
• Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a marker of cell proliferation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between PCNA expression and clinicopathological features in papillary thyroid carcinoma.
• To assess the relationship between PCNA levels and patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and metastatic potential.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemical staining for PCNA was performed on 131 PTC tissue samples.
• PCNA immunoreactivity was quantified using the PCNA labeling index (LI) and categorized into three grades (A, B, C).
• Statistical analysis examined the association between PCNA grades and clinicopathological factors like sex, age, tumor size, and nodal status.

Main Results:

• PCNA expression varied across the cohort, with 43.5% in grade A, 35.1% in grade B, and 21.4% in grade C.
• A significant correlation was observed between PCNA grade, sex, and age.
• The female-to-male ratio decreased with increasing PCNA grade, and mean patient age increased with higher PCNA grades, especially in women.

Conclusions:

• PCNA immunoreactivity is significantly associated with sex and age in patients diagnosed with papillary thyroid tumors.
• These findings suggest PCNA may serve as a potential biomarker for predicting certain clinicopathological characteristics in PTC.