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Leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid gland: A case report with a comparative study of five cases of anaplastic carcinoma
Author(s) -
Kawahara El,
Nakanishi Isao,
Terahata Shintaro,
Ikegaki Shigeru
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19881215)62:12<2558::aid-cncr2820621218>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - desmin , pathology , cytokeratin , leiomyosarcoma , vimentin , anaplastic carcinoma , intermediate filament , medicine , microfilament , thyroid , anatomy , carcinoma , biology , immunohistochemistry , cell , cytoskeleton , genetics
We report on a case of leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid with ultrastructural features and expression of intermediate filament proteins different from that of anaplastic carcinomas. Histologic examination of multiple sections showed that they were leiomyosarcomatous, and neither epithelial features nor giant cell configurations were found. Electron microscopic examination showed microfilament bundles with dense patches and discontinuous basal lamina. Desmin, vimentin, and actin were positive for tumor cells, and cytokeratin, thyroglobulin, and calcitonin were negative. In contrast, the anaplastic carcinoma cases did not contain microfilament bundles with dense patches in their tumor cells. There were no desmin‐positive or cytokeratin‐negative tumor ceils. We concluded that this case was a primary leiomyosarcoma, presumably derived from the smooth muscle cell of the vascular wall.