title: Her2/neu expression in poorly-differentiated and anaplastic thyroid carcinomas.
abstract: The Her2/neu expression in poorly-differentiated thyroid carcinomas (PDTC) and in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) was investigated retrospectively. Tumors of 25 patients suffering from PDTC and 25 from ATC were evaluated, including 15 cases of PDTC with highly-differentiated tumor parts. Her2/neu levels were immunohistochemically detected on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues using c-erbB-2/Her2/neu Oncoprotein Ab-17 monoclonal antibody(mAb). In statistical analysis using 1-way ANOVA, Her2/neu protein overexpression was highly significantly correlated with the differentiation status of the investigated tumor parts. Whereas ATCs showed only few positive tumor cells, PDTCs presented with large reacting tumor areas and highly-differentiated parts of PDTCs revealed the highest staining intensity. These findings suggest a decreasing impact of Her2/neu oncoproteins correlating to dedifferentiation, reflecting the aggressive biological behaviour of these tumors.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Innsbruck, Muellerstr. 44, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. christian.ensinger@uibk.ac.at
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ensinger
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prommegger
authors.forename: Dorotha
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kendler
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gabriel
authors.forename: Gilbert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spizzo
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mikuz
authors.forename: Roswitha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kremser
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases