The Role of S100-Positive Dendritic Cells in the Prognosis of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Abstract

Dendritic cells are potent antigen-presenting cells, common in inflammatory processes. We sought to investigate dendritic cell expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma and the relationship of dendritic cell density with the extent of thyroiditis and prognosis. Specimens from 69 consecutive patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma were immunohistochemically stained for the S100 protein, and the number of positive dendritic cells was counted. Cells were sparse in normal thyroid tissue and common in areas of thyroiditis and papillary carcinoma. Dendritic cell density in papillary carcinoma correlated with the thyroiditis grade and dendritic cell density in surrounding areas of thyroiditis. High-grade thyroiditis (42% of patients) was inversely associated with 3-year recurrence. Dendritic cell density was not associated with disease-free survival. The lack of prognostic value of dendritic cell density is not compliant with the only other relevant study in the literature, and further research is required.

Dendritic cells in autoimmune disorders and cancer of the thyroid

“…The recently published study analysing retrospectively thyroid specimens of 69 classical-type PTC patients revealed that S-100 + DC density, both in the tumoural tissue and areas of concomitant thyroiditis, was associated with the intensity of lymphocytic thyroiditis. Moreover, short-term disease-free survival correlated positively with the thyroiditis grade but not with the number of infiltrating DCs [99]. This observation seems to be very interesting in the light of earlier reports, showing distinctive for PTC phenotypes of infiltrating DCs including expression pattern of chemokines receptors and adhesion molecules [68,86], as well as low expression of costimulatory molecules such as CD86 [69,89,90].…”

The immune network in thyroid cancer

“…72 S100 C (mature and immature), CD1a C (immature), and CD83 C (mature) DCs are increased in human PTC compared to normal thyroid tissue. 73 CM obtained from primary cultures of PTC induced chemotaxis of peripheral blood monocytederived DCs. Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) enhanced this chemotactic activity through the engagement of the receptor Met on TC cells.…”

Epidermal differentiation complex (locus 1q21) gene expression in head and neck cancer and normal mucosa

“…Anania et al found that in papillary thyroid cancer an over-expression of S100A11 may contribute to the malignant phenotype [37], moreover, the role of S100-positive dendritic cells in this context has been recently discussed [38]. In laryngeal cancer S100A11 gene was over-expressed both on mRNA and protein level and its expression was associated with a migratory capacity [39].…”