R. Hinze et al., Regulation of proliferation and apoptosis in sporadic and hereditary medullary thyroid carcinomas and their putative precursor lesions, VIRCHOWS AR, 437(3), 2000, pp. 256-263
Citations number
28
Categorie Soggetti
Medical Research Diagnosis & Treatment
Journal title
VIRCHOWS ARCHIV-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
C-cell hyperplasia (CCH) and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in patients
affected by germline mutations of the RET oncogene represent an exceptional
opportunity to study the regulation of proliferation and apoptosis during
tumour initiation and progression. In 56 specimens [CCH, n=1; MTC with CCH,
n=26; MTC, n=20; lymph-node metastasis (LNM), n=9] from 46 patients [multi
ple endocrine neoplasia type 2a (MEN2a), n=24; MEN2b, n=2; familiar MTC (FM
TC), n=4; sporadic MTC, n=16] and 3 cases of non-neoplastic CCH, proliferat
ion activity (MIB1), the rate of apoptosis [dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL)
] and expression of p53, bcl-2, bcl-x and bax were investigated and compare
d with clinical data. In MEN-associated CCH and small MTC, bcl-2 was strong
ly expressed, bcl-x was moderately expressed and bax was only weakly expres
sed. Advanced tumours and LNM did show a more heterogeneous bcl-2 staining
accompanied by an increased bax expression and accelerated proliferation. T
he rate of apoptosis was extremely low in all investigated tumours. P53 was
detectable in three patients with rapidly growing and extensively metastas
ising MTC. No somatic p53 mutations were found. Hereditary MTC with germlin
e RET mutations at codon 918 (MEN2b) and codon 634 revealed a bias towards
a higher proliferation activity at a younger age and are more frequently ac
companied by LNM. CCH and MTC are characterised with a preponderance of bcl
-2 as a factor blocking the programmed cell death. While MTC, in general, i
s a slowly growing tumour, a minority of tumours do progress rapidly with h
igh proliferation. The factors leading to an accelerated tumour progression
do not seem to take their effect via the regulation of apoptosis. Certain
alterations of RET are supposed to have a direct or indirect implication on
proliferation and, because of this, an effect on the clinical course.