title: Immunohistochemical analysis of nm23 protein expression in thyroid papillary carcinoma and follicular neoplasm.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aimed at assessing the significance of nm23 gene expression in papillary and follicular carcinomas, the two most common differentiated thyroid carcinomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a cross-sectional study, 173 paraffin blocks, including 131 papillary thyroid carcinomas, 12 follicular carcinomas and 30 follicular adenomas were stained with nm23 marker by immunohistochemistry method. Cytoplasmic staining in more than 10% of the tumor cells was considered as positive, and alpha<0.05 was established as the level of statistical significance for the evaluation of the correlation between nm23 expression and age, sex, tumor size, vascular /capsular invasion and lymph node involvement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  nm23 was positive in 40% of the follicular adenoma, 67.2% of the papillary carcinoma and 66.7% of the follicular carcinoma. p value was more than 0.05 in the assessment of the relationship between nm23 and all of the above-mentioned parameters in differentiated thyroid carcinomas. nm23 expression did not significantly differentiate between follicular adenoma and carcinoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to our results, there is no relationship between nm23 immunoreactivity and age or sex of the patients. Also, nm23 cannot be considered as a useful marker for the evaluation of invasion in differentiated thyroid carcinomas or in distinctions between follicular adenoma and carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shariati Hospital, School of Medicine, Tehran 14114, Iran.
authors.forename: H Moradi
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Tabriz
authors.forename: Kh
authors.initials: Kh
authors.lastname: Adabi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lashkari
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heshmat
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Haghpanah
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Larijani
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Tavangar
mesh_terms: D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000231:Adenocarcinoma, Papillary / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000236:Adenoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; C517938:NME1 protein, human