Korean J Pathol.  2014 Jun;48(3):234-240.

Anaplastic Transformation of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in a Young Man: A Case Study with Immunohistochemical and BRAF Analysis

• Park JH
• Kwon HJ
• Park CS
• Hong S

Abstract

This study reports a case of anaplastic transformation from a well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma in a young patient. The first recurrent tissue contained poorly differentiated foci that revealed lower thyroglobulin, thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1), and galectin-3 expression than the well-differentiated area. However there was no increased p53 or Ki-67 expression in the poorly differentiated foci, nor in the well-differentiated area. The tissue subsequently relapsed and revealed only anaplastic features, complete loss of thyroglobulin, TTF-1, and galectin-3 expression and revealed an increase in p53 and Ki-67 expression. The BRAF V600E and BRAF V600V mutation were found in the initially diagnosed papillary thyroid carcinoma and the poorly differentiated foci of the recurring papillary thyroid carcinoma; however, only the BRAF V600V mutation was found in the anaplastic carcinoma. These results suggest that overexpression of p53 and Ki-67 contributed to the anaplastic transformation. We also found that the BRAF type changed during the tumor relapse.

Keyword

Thyroid cancer, anaplastic; Young adult; Proto-oncogene proteins B-raf; Immunohistochemistry

MeSH Terms

Carcinoma
Galectin 3
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf
Recurrence
Thyroglobulin
Thyroid Gland
Thyroid Neoplasms*
Transcription Factors
Young Adult
Galectin 3
Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf
Thyroglobulin
Transcription Factors