title: Increased Pleiotrophin Concentrations in Papillary Thyroid Cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thyroid nodules are common, and approximately 5% of these nodules are malignant. Pleiotrophin (PTN) is a heparin-binding growth factor which is overexpressed in many cancers. The expression of PTN in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is unknown.
  
  
  RESULTS
  74 subjects (age 47 ± 12 y, 15 males) who had thyroidectomy with a histological diagnosis: 79 benign nodules and 23 PTCs (10 classic, 6 tall cell, 6 follicular variant and 1 undetermined). Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) samples were obtained ex vivo from surgically excised tissue and assayed for PTN and thyroglobulin (Tg). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on tissue sections. In FNA samples, PTN concentration normalized to Tg was significantly higher in PTC than in benign nodules (16 ± 6 vs 0.3 ± 0.1 ng/mg, p < 0.001). In follicular variant of PTC (n = 6), the PTN/Tg ratio was also higher than in benign nodules (1.3 ± 0.6 vs 0.3 ± 0.1 ng/mg, P < 0.001, respectively). IHC showed cytoplasmic localization of PTN in PTC cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In ex vivo FNA samples, the PTN to thyroglobulin ratio was higher in PTCs, including follicular variant PTC, than in benign thyroid nodules. The findings raise the possibility that measurement of the PTN to Tg ratio may provide useful diagnostic and/or prognostic information in the evaluation of thyroid nodules.
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Youn Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Jee
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Samira M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sadowski
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Francesco S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Celi
authors.affiliation: Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Liqiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.affiliation: Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raffeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Sacks
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Alan T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Remaley
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wellstein
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Electron
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kebebew
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baron
mesh_terms: D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000078792:Midkine; D009154:Mutation; D011379:Prognosis; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000235:genetics; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000378:metabolism; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D016207:Cytokines; C066845:pleiotrophin; D000078792:Midkine; D013954:Thyroglobulin; C482119:BRAF protein, human; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf