Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The value of microvessel density (MVD) as a prognostic factor in thyroid carcinomas, and its role in the development of metastasis, remain controversial.

Aim: Determination of the relationship between MVD, the histological subtype of PTC, the presence or absence of metastasis in cervical lymph nodes (LN), the recurrence of the disease and AMES prognostic index.

Material and method: The study included 32 patients with PTC (mean age of 48.8 years) divided into 2 risk groups, depending on AMES prognostic index.

Tissue sections fixed in formalin 10% and paraffin-embedded were colored with monoclonal antibody anti-CD31, clone JC/70A, using the LSAB technique and visualization with DAB.

Results: We noted: 1) Classic PTC in 20 cases (62.5%), follicular variant of PTC (FVPTC) in 6 cases (18.75%), PTC with diffuse sclerosis (PTCDS) in 2 cases (6.25%) and PTC with tall cells in 4 cases (12.5%); 2) 17% micropapillary carcinomas (≤1 cm φ), 75% with φ between 1 and 4 cm and 8% with φ>4 cm; 3) extrathyroid extension in 8 cases (25%), vascular invasion in 8 cases (25%), perineural invasion in 4 cases (12.5%), lymphatic invasion in 42% and multicentric dissemination in 45%; 4) mean MVD of 84 (64–114) in PTC without LN metastasis and 104 in PTC with positive LN; 5) a higher mean MVD in FVPTC (independent of metastasis) compared with classic PTC (98 vs 84), PTC with tall cells (80) and PTCDS (68); 6) mean MVD of 84 in patients ≤45 years and of 93 in those >45 years; 7) slightly higher mean MVD in the group of patients with recurrences.

Conclusions: Elevated mean MVD in PTC with LN metastasis and in patients with recurrent disease indicates the metastatic potential of these tumors; we did not note a relationship between MVD and the AMES prognostic index.