Correlation between myoferlin expression and lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma

• Published in: Journal of pathology and translational medicine Vol. 56; no. 4; pp. 199 - 204
• Main Authors: Kim, Dong Chul, Song, Dae Hyun, An, Hyo Jung, Koh, Hyun Min, Lee, Jeong-Hee, Lee, Jong Sil, Yang, Jung Wook, Kim, Min Hye
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul Korean Society of Pathologists, Korean Society for Cytopathology 01.07.2022; The Korean Society of Pathologists/The Korean Society for Cytopathology; Korean Society of Pathologists & the Korean Society for Cytopathology; 대한병리학회
• Subjects: Cell growth; Kidney cancer; Lung cancer; lymph node metastasis; Lymphatic system; Medical prognosis; Metastasis; myoferlin; Original; papillary thyroid carcinoma; Patients; Proteins; Statistical analysis; Thyroid cancer; tumor staging; Tumors; 병리학
• ISSN: 2383-7837; 2383-7845
• DOI: 10.4132/jptm.2022.03.19

Background: Myoferlin is a multifunctional protein expressed in various normal and cancer cells, with novel oncogenic roles being newly discovered. Recently, correlations have been found between myoferlin expression and unfavorable prognosis in various carcinomas. This study investigated the prognostic role of myoferlin expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), specifically that associated with nodal metastasis. Methods: We collected clinicopathological data and PTC tissues from 116 patients who had been admitted to Gyeongsang National University Hospital in 2010. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on surgical specimen-derived tissue microarray blocks. Myoferlin expression was graded, and the relationship between expression level and pathological features of tumors based on the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system was evaluated. Results: Of the 116 patient samples, 100 cases exhibited positive myoferlin expression. Higher grade of myoferlin expression was correlated with lower T category group (p = .010). Presence of lymph node metastasis was determined to be significantly correlated with low-grade myoferlin expression (p = .019), with no significant difference between pN1a and pN1b tumors. Conclusions: Our study revealed an adverse correlation between myoferlin expression and pathological features of PTC, evidence of the potential prognostic role of myoferlin in PTC lymph node metastasis.