Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: We aimed to investigate the expression of ret/PTC oncogene in PTC and to determine the relationship of this expression with clinical parameters and the prognosis.

Materials and methods: Surgical specimens of 45 PTC and adjacent normal thyroid tissues were obtained from the files of the Department of Pathology at Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University. All of the patients had definite diagnosis of PTC between 1995–2003 and had adequate clinical information and a continous follow-up. ret/PTC expression was studied with the immunohistochemistry method. Correlation between ret/PTC expression positivity and the pathologic parameters at initial diagnose and during the follow up were examined.

Results: Study group consisted of 39 (86.7%) female, six (13.3%) male patients. Mean age was 44.4±11.28 years, follow-up time was 59±25 (24–120). Mean tumor size was 18.13±15.75 mm (3–80 mm). According to TNM staging % 22 (n=10), %13.3 (n=6), %8.9 (n=4) and %55.6 (n=25) of the tumors were T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively. Lymph node metastasis, capsule invasion, vascular invasion, soft tissue invasion, multicentricity, and relaps rates were 24.4% (n=11), 71.1% (n=32), 40% (n=18), 51.1% (n=23), 42% (n=19) and %6.8 (n=3) respectively. In 17 (37.8%) of the 45 specimens, ret/PTC was found positive immunohistochemically. There was no significant difference in ret/PTC expression rate according to gender, stage of tumor, invasion of lymph node, capsule, soft tissue and vascular invasion, multicentricity and relaps (P>0.05). Ret/PTC expression positivity was not different between patient <40 and ≥40 years old. No correlation was found between ret/PTC positivity and tumor size (<10 mm and ≥10 mm) (P=0.160) as well as between the histologycal subtypes (P=0.60).

Discussion: In our study, ret/PTC expression had no influence on initial clinicopathological findings and the prognosis.

(The present work was supported by the Research Fund of Istanbul University. Project No:950,T-601/170320)