Korean J Endocr Surg.  2009 Jun;9(2):65-68. 10.16956/kjes.2009.9.2.65.

Follicular Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma; Clinicopathologic Features

• Kim SY
• Chae BJ
• Jung SR
• Jung CK
• Lim DJ
• Song BJ
• Kim JS
• Kim SN
• Bae JS

• KMID: 2375747
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.16956/kjes.2009.9.2.65

Abstract

PURPOSE
The follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FVPTC) is the most common subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, the clinicopathologic features of patients with FVPTC with those of patients with pure PTC is ill-understood. This study evaluated differences in clinicopathologic features of FVPTC compared with pure PTC.
METHODS
All patients with FVPTC or pure PTC diagnosed between January 2006 and August 2008 at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. The two groups were compared in terms of clinocopathological features.
RESULTS
Of 417 patients, 370 had PTC, and 47 patients had FVPTC. The meanage was 47.1 years. There was no differencein age and sex ratio between the two groups, and both groups were similar in terms of tumor size, presence of multifocality, thyroid capsular invasion, and extrathyroidal extension. However, FVPTC patients had significantly lower lymph node metastases (P=0.015) and significantly higher tumor encapsulation (P=0.031). Galectin-3 expression was decreased in FVPTC (P=.012).
CONCLUSION
The clinicopathologic features of FVPTC are more favorable. The possibility of FVPTC could be considered when thyroid nodules with negative galectin-3 expression have suspicious or malignant fine needle aspiration biopsy.

Keyword

Papillary thyroid cancer; Pure papillary thyroid cancer; Follicular variant

MeSH Terms

Biopsy
Biopsy, Fine-Needle
Galectin 3
Humans
Lymph Nodes
Neoplasm Metastasis
Retrospective Studies
Sex Ratio
Thyroid Gland*
Thyroid Neoplasms*
Thyroid Nodule
Galectin 3