Do Helper T Cell Subtypes in Lymphocytic Thyroiditis Play a Role in the Antitumor Effect?
BACKGROUND
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is frequently accompanied by lymphocytic thyroiditis (LT). Some reports claim that Hashimoto's thyroiditis (the clinical form of LT) enhances the likelihood of PTC; however, others suggest that LT has antitumor activity. This study was aimed to find out the relationship between the patterns of helper T cell (Th) cytokines in thyroid tissue of PTC with or without LT and the clinicopathological manifestation of PTC.


METHODS
Fresh surgical samples of PTC with (13 cases) or without (10 cases) LT were used. The prognostic parameters (tumor size, extra-thyroidal extension of PTC, and lymph node metastasis) were analyzed. The mRNA levels of two subtypes of Th cytokines, Th1 (tumor necrosis factor α [TNF-α], interferon γ [IFN-γ ], and interleukin [IL] 2) and Th2 (IL-4 and IL-10), were analyzed. Because most PTC cases were microcarcinomas and recent cases without clinical follow-up, negative or faint p27 immunoreactivity was used as a surrogate marker for lymph node metastasis.


RESULTS
PTC with LT cases showed significantly higher expression of TNF-α (p = .043), IFN-γ (p < .010), IL-4 (p = .015) than those without LT cases. Although the data were not statistically significant, all analyzed cytokines (except for IL-4) were highly expressed in the cases with higher expression of p27 surrogate marker.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that mixed Th1 (TNF-α, IFN-γ , and IL-2) and Th2 (IL-10) immunity might play a role in the antitumor effect in terms of lymph node metastasis.
Department of Medicine, Yonsei University Graduate School, Seoul, Korea.
Seok Woo
SW
Yang
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chosun University College of Medicine, Gwangju, Korea.
Seong-Ho
SH
Kang
Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Kyung Rae
KR
Kim
Department of Microbiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
In Hong
IH
Choi
Department of General Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Hang Seok
HS
Chang
Department of Pathology, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Young Lyun
YL
Oh
Department of Pathology, Rehabilitation Institute of Neuromuscular Disease, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Soon Won
SW
Hong
Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27; Cytokines; Lymphocytic thyroiditis; Neoplasm metastasis; T-lymphocytes,
helper-inducer; Thyroid cancer, papillary
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