title: Tenascin C in medullary thyroid microcarcinoma and C-cell hyperplasia.
abstract: Tenascin C (Tn-C) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein that is expressed early in carcinogenesis including intraepithelial neoplastic lesions of different organs. In this study, we analyze whether stroma reaction seen by Tn-C expression is detected early in tumorigenesis of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) including medullary microcarcinoma and C-cell hyperplasia (CCH), which is accepted to be a precursor lesion of MTC in the setting of RET oncogene germ-line mutation. Tn-C was expressed in the stroma of all medullary microcarcinoma and in the stroma next to CCH. Stromal Tn-C expression was significantly more often seen in CCH with concomitant MTC than in isolated CCH of hereditary as well as nonhereditary cases (p = 0.001 and p = 0.016, respectively). We conclude that Tn-C expression and thus early stroma remodeling is seen in medullary microcarcinoma and CCH. Stromal Tn-C expression seems to be an indicator of a further step in carcinogenesis of MTC irrespective of a RET oncogene germ-line mutation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Oskar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Koperek
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prinz
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scheuba
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Niederle
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaserer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D018095:Germ-Line Mutation; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret / Q000235:genetics*; D019063:Tenascin / Q000032:analysis*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D019063:Tenascin; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; C099282:RET protein, human