title: Differential oncogenic expression in thyroid follicular and Hürthle cell carcinomas.
abstract: Although Hürthle cell tumors are considered to be variants of follicular neoplasms, they have distinct cytologic and behavioral characteristics. To elucidate the basis for these differences, the expression of 5 oncogenes and growth factors (Pan-ras, N-myc, transforming growth factor-alpha [TGF-alpha], transforming growth factor-beta [TGF-beta], and insulin-like growth factor 1 [IGF-1]) was compared between 12 follicular carcinomas and 8 Hürthle cell carcinomas by immunocytochemistry. The percentage of follicular carcinomas and Hürthle cell carcinomas that stained positively for the different oncogenes was as follows and respectively: Pan-ras 8% versus 63%; TGF-alpha 17% versus 63%; TGF-beta 25% versus 88%; IGF-1 17% versus 88%; and N-myc 17% versus 100%. All these differences were highly significant by the chi 2 test. This difference in the expression of oncogenes between Hürthle cell carcinomas and follicular carcinomas suggests that these two tumors could, in fact, represent separate entities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, New York 11042.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masood
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Auguste
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Westerband
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Belluco
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Valderama
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Attie
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000032:analysis; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / Q000032:analysis; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000032:analysis; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; C501009:HRAS protein, human; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)