Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid

Immunohistochemistry

S-100 stains sustentacular cells, which are present in many (63%) MEN-associated medullary carcinomas but are uncommon in sporadic tumours (9%).

Positivity for CEA supports a diagnosis of medullary carcinoma even in the absence of calcitonin immunoreactivity in the setting of familial medullary carcinoma or MEN.

References

Diagnostic histopathology of tumors. Edited by CDM Fletcher. 2nd edition. Churchill Livingstone. Page 1008.

2Fernandez, P.L., Merino, M.J., Gomez, M., Campo, E., Medina, T., Castronovo, V., Sanjuan, X., Cardesa, A., Liu, F.T. and Sobel, M.E. Galectin-3 and laminin expression in neoplastic and non-neoplastic thyroid tissue. J Pathol 1997;181:80-6.

3Cvejic, D., Savin, S., Paunovic, I., Tatic, S., Havelka, M. and Sinadinovic, J. Immunohistochemical localization of galectin-3 in malignant and benign human thyroid tissue. Anticancer Res 1998;18:2637-41.

4Chu, P. G. and L. M. Weiss (2002). "Keratin expression in human tissues and neoplasms." Histopathology 40(5): 403-39. (Summary data from multiple papers)

5Erickson, L. A. and R. V. Lloyd (2004). "Practical markers used in the diagnosis of endocrine tumors." Adv Anat Pathol 11(4): 175-89.

This page last revised 21.7,2004.

©SMUHT/PW Bishop