[Expression of mucin-l and beta-catenin in papillary thyroid carcinoma and the clinical significance thereof].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the expression levels of mucin-1 (MUC1) and beta-catenin in papillary thyroid carcinoma, the significance thereof in the carcinogenesis and development of tumor.


METHODS
Specimens of thyroid tissues were collected from 53 patients of papillary thyroid carcinoma, and 20 patients of nodular goiter, including 20 specimens of the tissues with thyroid nodules and 20 specimens of normal thyroid tissues adjacent to the nodules (as controls). Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of MUC1 and beta-catenin in these tissues. The correlation of the expression of MUC1/beta-catenin with different clinico-pathological parameters of the papillary thyroid carcinoma patients was analyzed.


RESULTS
The MUC1 expression level of the tissues of the papillary thyroid carcinoma tissue was (134 +/- 10, gray scale), significantly higher than those of nodular goiter group (101 +/- 7, gray scale) and the control group (99 +/- 6, gray scale) (both P < 0.01). The positive expression rate of MUC1 in the tissues of papillary thyroid carcinoma was 56.6%, significantly higher than those in the nodular goiter and control groups (15.0% and 5.0% respectively, both P < 0.01). The positive beta-catenin expression rate of the papillary thyroid carcinoma group was 71.7%, significantly higher than those of the nodular goiter and control groups (40.0% and 20.0% respectively, both P < 0.05). The positive MUC1 expression rate of the papillary thyroid carcinoma patients with lymph node metastasis was 68.4% (26/38), significantly higher than that of the patients without lymph node metastasis (26.7%, 4/15, P < 0.05), however, there were no significant differences in the MUC1 expression rate among the papillary thyroid carcinoma patients different in sex, age, and tumor size (all P > 0.05). The beta-catenin expression rates of the papillary thyroid carcinoma patients different in sex, age, tumor size, and lymph node metastasis status were not significantly different (all P > 0.05). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that abnormal expression of MUC1 and beta-catenin were positively correlated with the pathogenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (all P < 0.05), and lymph node metastasis status and abnormal expression of beta-catenin were positively correlated with MUC1 expression (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Playing an important role in the carcinogenesis and development of papillary thyroid carcinoma, MUC1 can be used as a biomarker in this carcinoma. There was a significant positive correlation between MUC1 expression and beta-catenin expression.
He
Fei
F
Department of Endocrinology, Taizhou Municipal Hospital, Taizhou 318000, China.
Li
Hong
H
Li
Wan-Sheng
WS
Dong
Xue-Hong
XH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
D018396:Mucin-1; D051176:beta Catenin