Premium
c‐Met expression of thyroid tissue with special reference to papillary carcinoma
Author(s) -
Oyama Tetsunari,
Ichimura Elji,
Sano Takaaki,
Kashiwabara Kenji,
Fukuda Toshio,
Nakajima Takashi
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
pathology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1827
pISSN - 1320-5463
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1827.1998.tb03835.x
Subject(s) - thyroid , pathology , immunohistochemistry , adenoma , thyroid carcinoma , thyroiditis , carcinoma , c met , papillary carcinoma , stroma , medicine , receptor , hepatocyte growth factor
It has become clear that papillary carclnomas of the thyroid often express the receptor for c‐Met/hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor, but little Is known about the role of the HGF and c‐Met system In the pathogenesis of thyroid carcinoma. In this study, the expression of c‐MeUHGF receptor was evaluated in thyroid tlssue by western blot and immunohistochemistry, and compared with the concentration of HGF. Clinicopathologlcal characteristics were also compared. Fmeen of 20 papillary Carcinomas (75%) showed eMet bands of 145 kDa. No or only a low frequency of c‐Met expression was detected in healthy thyroid tissue (0/5), thyroiditis or Basedow's disease (0/2), adenomatous goiters (0/8), follicular adenomas (119, 11%) and undifferentiated carcinomas (0/2). These results were confirmed by immunohistochemistry, but a relatively higher frequency of c‐Met expression was detected in adenomatous goiters (25%), follicular adenoma (44%) ancl papillary Carcinoma (100%) using formalin‐fixed and paraffin‐embedded materials. A strong immunoreaction for c‐Met was observed In the tumor cytoplasm of paplllary carcinomas among the fibrous tissues situated at the perlphery of the tumor. The densito‐metrically measured expression of c‐Met had no relation to tumor stage in papillary carcinoma, but did correlate to the concentration of HGF in papillary carcinomas. In conclusion, in thyroid lesions, c‐Met was highly expressed specifically in the cytoplasm of papillary carcinomas. c‐Met expression was not related to the aggressiveness of the tumor but was related to the concentration of HGF, which was probably derived from the stroma. Also, the c‐Met system might play a role in the pathogenesis of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.