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Published on: November 10, 2014
Galectin-3 and CD44v6 positivity by RT-PCR method in fine needle aspirates of benign thyroid lesions
1Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Sisters of Mercy University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia. nmatesa@kbsm.hr
Insights
Macrophages and Hürthle cells (HC) in benign thyroid lesions may cause false positives for galectin-3 and CD44v6 expression detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This finding is significant for nodular goitre and Hashimoto thyroiditis diagnoses.
Area of Science:
- Thyroid pathology
- Immunohistochemistry
- Molecular diagnostics
Background:
- Galectin-3 and CD44v6 are potential biomarkers for thyroid lesions.
- Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is used to detect their expression.
- Benign thyroid lesions can sometimes show false-positive results for these markers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if macrophages and Hürthle cells (HC) contribute to false-positive galectin-3 and CD44v6 expression in benign thyroid lesions.
- To investigate the cellular basis of marker expression in specific benign thyroid conditions.
Main Methods:
- Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was performed on 123 patients with benign thyroid lesions.
- RNA was isolated from aspirates for galectin-3 and CD44v6 expression analysis using RT-PCR.
- RT-PCR results were correlated with definitive FNAC diagnoses and cellular presence of macrophages and HC.
Main Results:
- Galectin-3 positivity was linked to macrophages in nodular goitre (NG) and Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT).
- Hürthle cells (HC) correlated with galectin-3 positivity in HT and showed a tendency in NG.
- HC presence was significantly associated with CD44v6 positivity in NG and tended to be associated in HT.
Conclusions:
- Macrophages and/or Hürthle cells (HC) likely explain false-positive galectin-3 and CD44v6 RT-PCR results in nodular goitre (NG) and Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) cytological samples.
- Understanding cellular contributions is crucial for accurate interpretation of molecular markers in thyroid diagnostics.
Objective:
To investigate whether the presence of macrophages and Hürthle cells (HC) in benign thyroid lesions could explain the false-positive expression of galectin-3 and CD44v6 detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Methods:
For galectin-3 and CD44v6, RT-PCR was performed on RNA isolated from aspirates obtained by ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) from 123 patients with benign thyroid lesions. The results of RT-PCR analysis were evaluated against the definitive FNAC diagnosis.
Results:
Galectin-3 expression was found in 29% follicular adenoma (FA), 26% Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT), and in 24% nodular goitre (NG). We found a statistically significant relationship between the presence of macrophages and galectin-3 positivity in NG and HT samples (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0087 respectively). We found a statistically significant (P = 0.0219) relationship between the presence of HC and galectin-3 positivity in HT and a tendency of such a relationship (P = 0.0838) in NG. CD44v6 expression was found in 29% FA, 33% HT and in 18% NG. We found a statistically significant relationship between the presence of HC and positive expression of CD44v6 in NG (P = 0.0003) and a strong tendency of such a relationship in HT (P = 0.0571). We did not find a statistically significant relationship between the presence of macrophages and CD44v6 positivity. In FA, we did not find a statistically significant relationship between the presence of macrophages or HC and galectin-3 or CD44v6 positivity.
Conclusion:
Our results suggest that the presence of macrophages and/or HC may explain the positive expression of galectin-3 and CD44v6 detected by RT-PCR in HT and NG cytological samples.