Diagnostic value of decreased expression of CD56 protein in papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland

Abstract

Background and aims:Precise pathological diagnosis is essential for optimal treatment of thyroid tumors. Ancillary diagnostic markers may be helpful in some cases. The purpose of this study was to compare and evaluate the diagnostic value of CD56, cytokeratin 19 (CK19), and galectin-3 immunohistochemical stainings in distinguishing between papillary carcinoma (PC) and other thyroid malignancies and benign lesions. Methods: The expressions of the three markers were evaluated in PC (n = 67), follicular carcinoma (FC, n = 23), medullary carcinoma (MC, n = 18), anaplastic carcinoma (AC, n = 4), follicular adenoma (FA, n = 15), and nodular hyperplasia (NH, n = 21). Results: Statistical analysis showed significantly different expressions of CD56, galectin-3, and CK19 in PC versus other lesions of the thyroid gland, with the exception of AC. Especially, the sensitivity and specificity of CD56 for diagnosing PC were 92.5% and 86.4%, respectively. The diagnostic specificity of CD56 was higher than that of galectin-3 or CK19 in differentiating PC from other lesions of the thyroid gland. However, its sensitivity was lower than that of galectin-3 or CK19. Conclusion: CD56 turns out to be a good negative marker for diagnosing PC. We suggest that immunohistochemical panels directed at the diagnosis of PC should include CD56 together with galectin-3 and CK19.

Application of CK 19 and CD 56 Immunohistochemical Markers in the Diagnosis of Thyroid Tumors

“…[26] Many previous studies reported high CD56 expression in normal thyroid tissue and benign thyroid follicular lesions as Follicular Adenomas and Nodular Hyperplasias. [4,7,27,28] In our study, moderate to strong staining intensity was seen in 41% cases of Benign lesions and negative expression in 29% cases. [26] and Shahebrahimi et al [29] Atti et al reported a high positive CD56 expression in normal thyroid tissue compared to PC cases.…”

“…[26] Shahebrahimi et al observed that CD56 was expressed in 93% of all Benign lesions, while it was only found in 5% of Malignant thyroid lesions (PC). [29] Similarly, previous studies by Demellawy et al, [4,28] Park et al, [27] and Shin et al [7] reported that negative CD56 expression in all or most of their studied PC cases and also observed that CD56 expression was more reduced in Papillary Carcinomas in respect to Follicular Carcinomas and Follicular Adenomas.…”

Potential diagnostic utility of CD56 and claudin-1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma and solitary follicular thyroid nodules

“…According to Park et al [22], strong and complete membranous expression with or without cytoplasmic staining of the cells qualified the case as positive for CD56.…”

Follicular Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma on the Basis of His-topathological and Immunohistochemical Diagnosis

“…Strong and complete membranous expression with or without cytoplasmic staining qualified the case as positive for CD56. 6,7 Low or absent expression of CD56 is noted in papillary carcinoma of thyroid. 7 In the NCDB (National Cancer Data Base, USA) study, the 10 year relative survival rates for patients with papillary and follicular carcinoma were 93% and 85%, respectively.…”

“…5 This is due to advances in medical surveillance of impalpable nodules and increased emphasis on ancillary tests. 6 Such increase also reflects a minor component of over diagnosis of PTC. It is clear that some cases do raise controversy as being PTC or non PTC.…”