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Expression of laminin in thyroid gland and thyroid tumors: An immunohistologic study
Author(s) -
Miettinen Markku,
Virtanen Ismo
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910340106
Subject(s) - laminin , thyroid , pathology , thyroid carcinoma , basement membrane , immunohistochemistry , goiter , follicular phase , biology , medicine , endocrinology , extracellular matrix , microbiology and biotechnology
Thirty‐five thyroid tumors and four normal thyroids were immunohistochemically investigated for the presence of laminin, a major basement membrane component. The thyroid follicles in normal tissues and in nodular goiters were surrounded by a continuous rim of laminin positivity, as were also the papillae of papillary carcinomas. Follicular adenomas and well‐differentiated follicular carcinomas also showed laminin positivity around most of the follicles. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma lacking a distinct compartmentalization of tumor cells also lacked pericellular laminin. However, in contrast to all other thyroid tumors, an intense laminin positivity was found in scattered tumor cells of anaplastic carcinomas. Laminin positivity is thus a feature reflecting the differentiation level of thyroid tumors, but, unlike most other carcinomas, differentiated thyroid tumors have basal laminae surrounding the differentiated structural units.