EXPRESSION OF ICAM-1 IN DISTANT METASTATIC THYROID-CARCINOMA

Distant metastasis from follicular thyroid carcinoma developed in a 48 -year-old woman 11 yr after the resection of the primary tumor. Distan t metastasis consisted in invasion of the left infraspinatus muscle by malignant thyroid cells. After its surgical removal, in the following 6-8 months multiple metastasis to distant skeletal muscle and brain a ppeared, and despite chemotherapy and local radiotherapy, the patient finally died. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), a single cha in transmembrane glycoprotein, was detected on the surface of cells of the metastatic tissue. Although ICAM-1-positive staining has been rec ently described in primary tumors such as papillary adenocarcinoma, an d metastatic tumors from skin, brain, thymus, liver, adrenal gland and prostate, to our knowledge its expression on distant metastasis from thyroid carcinoma has not been previously reported.