Journal List > Korean J Endocr Surg > v.9(2) > 1060377

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Kim, Chae, Jung, Jung, Lim, Song, Kim, Kim, and Bae: Follicular Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma; Clinicopathologic Features
Original Article

Korean Journal of Endocrine Surgery 2009; 9(2): 65-68.

Published online: 30 June 2009

DOI: https://doi.org/10.16956/kjes.2009.9.2.65

Follicular Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma; Clinicopathologic Features

Shinn Young Kim, M.D., Byung Joo Chae, M.D., So Ryeong Jung, M.D.1, Chan Kwon Jung, M.D.2, Dong Jun Lim, M.D.3, Byung Joo Song, M.D., Jeong Soo Kim, M.D., Seung Nam Kim, M.D., Ja Seong Bae, M.D.

Department of Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

1Department of Radiology, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

2Department of Hospital Pathology, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

3Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Correspondence: drbae@catholic.ac.kr

      Accepted 15 June 2009

Copyright © 2009 Korean Association of Thyroid and Endocrine Surgeons; KATES

(open-access):

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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.

Keywords: Papillary thyroid cancer, Pure papillary thyroid cancer, Follicular variant

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