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Sustentacular cells occur frequently in the familial form of medullary thyroid carcinoma
Author(s) -
MatiasGuiu Xavier,
Machin Pilar,
Pons Cristina,
Lagarda Elena,
De Leiva Alberto,
Prat Jaime
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9896(199804)184:4<420::aid-path1231>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - medullary cavity , pathology , medullary carcinoma , thyroid carcinoma , thyroid , medicine , immunohistochemistry , polymerase chain reaction , carcinoma , biology , genetics , gene
The presence and distribution of S‐100‐immunoreactive sustentacular cells were investigated by immunohistochemistry in 67 medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTCs). The familial or sporadic status of the tumours was assessed by clinical data and confirmed by the identification of RET germline mutations using the polymerase chain reaction–single‐strand conformation polymorphism (PCR–SSCP) and restriction analysis. Sustentacular cells were detected in 19 tumours (28·3 per cent). They were found significantly more frequently in the familial (15/24, 62·5 per cent) than in the sporadic MTCs (4/43, 9·3 per cent). The results indicate that sustentacular cells are commonly found in familial MTC and their presence in any MTC may be regarded as an indirect indicator that the tumour might be of the familial type. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.