Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor-2 Expression in Thyroid Tumor Progression: Potential Diagnostic Application |
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| Authors: | Adriano Redler Giorgio Di Rocco Domenico Giannotti Francesca Frezzotti Maria Giulia Bernieri Simona Ceccarelli Sirio D’Amici Enrica Vescarelli Anna Paola Mitterhofer Antonio Angeloni Cinzia Marchese |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Surgical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.; 2. Department of Radiological Sciences, Oncology and Anatomical Pathology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.; 3. Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.; 4. Department of Clinical Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.; 5. Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy, |
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| Abstract: | Fibroblast growth factor receptor-2 (FGFR-2) plays an important role in tumorigenesis. In thyroid cancer it has been observed a FGFR-2 down-modulation, but the role of this receptor has not been yet clarified. Therefore, we decided to examine the expression of both FGFR-2 isoform, FGFR-2-IIIb and FGFR-2-IIIc, in different histological thyroid variants such as hyperplasia, follicular adenoma and papillary carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry and quantitative Real-Time PCR analyses were performed on samples of hyperplasia, follicular adenoma and papillary carcinoma, compared with normal thyroid tissue. Thyroid hyperplasia did not show statistically significant reduction in FGFR-2 protein and mRNA levels. Interestingly, in both follicular adenoma and papillary carcinoma samples we observed a strongly reduced expression of both FGFR-2 isoforms. We speculate that FGFR-2 down-modulation might be an early event in thyroid carcinogenesis. Furthermore, we suggest the potential use of FGFR-2 as an early marker for thyroid cancer diagnosis. |
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