Diffuse sclerosing variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma. S-100 protein immunocytochemistry and prognosis.
The recently published second edition of the WHO classification of thyroid tumours describes the diffuse sclerosing papillary carcinoma (DSPC) as a specific variant of papillary thyroid cancer (PC). Besides several histological hallmarks, this rare tumour is characterized by its occurrence in young individuals and is thought to have a less favourable prognosis than PC in general. The observations on two examples of this tumour presented herein, however, are at variance at this assumption. The neoplasms occurred in a 10 year old girl and a 34 year old woman. Each time, diffuse involvement of both thyroid lobes and bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy were seen. In one case, the carcinoma extended into the cervical soft tissue. Follow-up disclosed both patients to be without evidence of disease 2 and 13 years, respectively, after thyroid surgery. Immunocytochemically, both thyroid primaries as well as 7 other cases of DSPC reported in the literature showed dense accumulations of S-100 protein positive dendritic/Langerhans cells. Such infiltrations have been demonstrated to be correlated with a benign clinical course of PC. It is thus suggested that DSPC behaves similarly or even less aggressively than PC in general, at least if prominent Langerhans cell infiltration is present.
Schröder
S
S
Institute of Pathology, University of Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
Bay
V
V
Dumke
K
K
Kremens
B
B
Müller-Gärtner
H W
HW
Böcker
W
W
Kastendieck
H
H
D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D011379:Prognosis; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D012598:Sclerosis; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*
D009418:S100 Proteins