Overexpression of p53 in tall cell variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma

doi:10.1016/S0039-6060(96)80053-5

Surgery

Volume 120, Issue 6, December 1996, Pages 1046-1050

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-6060(96)80053-5 Get rights and content

Background. The tall cell variant (TCV) is a clinically aggressive subtype of papillary thyroid cancer. The aim of this study was to discover the prevalence of mutant forms of p53 protein in this subtype and relate it to clinical outcome.

Methods. Eighteen patients with TCV and a control group with common papillary cancers, matched for age and gender, were studied. The p53 mutations were identified by means of immunohistochemical staining. Data reviewed were overall survival, recurrence, TNM stage, and p53 positivity.

Results. p53 mutations occurred in 11 (61%) patients with TCV compared with two (11%) in control group (p=0.05). In the TCV group two patients died of the disease (11%) and eight (44%) had local recurrences or distant metastases compared with none in the control group. All deaths and 70% of the recurrences occurred in patients with stage III or IV disease. p53 positivity did not correlate with any reduction in survival (7% compared with 9%) but with increased rate of local (23% compared with 4%) and distant (23% compared with 13%) recurrences.

Conclusions. TCV was associated with a significantly higher rate of p53 positivity than common papillary carcinoma. The stage of the disease seemed to be a better prognostic indicator than p53 positivity for overall survival.

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^†: Presented at the Seventeenth Annual Meeting of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, Napa, Calif. April 21–23, 1996.

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Overexpression of p53 in tall cell variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma†

Am J Surg

Am J Med

Immunohistochemical detection of p53 in differentiated, poorly differentiated and undifferentiated carcinomas of the thyroid

Histopathology

P53 mutations in all stages of thyroid carcinomas

J Clin Endocrinol Metab

Overexpression of p53 as a possible prognostic factor in human thyroid carcinoma

Am J Surg Pathol

The many appearances of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid

Cleve Clin Quarterly

Prognostic implications of the tall cell variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Am J Surg Pathol