Ruggeri Rosaria M, Campennì Alfredo, Giuffrè Giuseppe, Giovanella Luca, Siracusa Massimiliano, Simone Angela, Branca Giovanni, Scarfì Rosa, Trimarchi Francesco, Ieni Antonio, Tuccari Giovanni
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Unit of Endocrinology, University of Messina, AOU Policlinico G. Martino, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, Unit of Nuclear Medicine, University of Messina, AOU Policlinico G. Martino, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2016 Dec 6;17(12):2040. doi: 10.3390/ijms17122040.
The Epidermal Growth Factor Receoptor (EGFR) family member human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in many human epithelial malignancies, representing a molecular target for specific anti-neoplastic drugs. Few data are available on HER2 status in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The present study was aimed to investigate HER2 status in sporadic cancers of follicular cell origin to better clarify the role of this receptor in the stratification of thyroid cancer. By immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in-situ hybridization, HER2 expression was investigated in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded surgical specimens from 90 DTC patients, 45 follicular (FTC) and 45 papillary (PTC) histotypes. No HER2 immunostaining was recorded in background thyroid tissue. By contrast, overall HER2 overexpression was found in 20/45 (44%) FTC and 8/45 (18%) PTC, with a significant difference between the two histotypes ( = 0.046). Five of the six patients who developed metastatic disease during a median nine-year follow-up had a HER2-positive tumor. Therefore, we suggest that HER2 expression may represent an additional aid to identify a subset of patients who are characterized by a worse prognosis and are potentially eligible for targeted therapy.
表皮生长因子受体（EGFR）家族成员人表皮生长因子受体2（HER2）在许多人类上皮性恶性肿瘤中过表达，是特定抗肿瘤药物的分子靶点。关于分化型甲状腺癌（DTC）中HER2状态的数据较少。本研究旨在调查散发性滤泡细胞源性癌中的HER2状态，以更好地阐明该受体在甲状腺癌分层中的作用。通过免疫组织化学和荧光原位杂交，对90例DTC患者、45例滤泡状（FTC）和45例乳头状（PTC）组织学类型的福尔马林固定石蜡包埋手术标本中的HER2表达进行了研究。在背景甲状腺组织中未记录到HER2免疫染色。相比之下，在20/45（44%）的FTC和8/45（18%）的PTC中发现了总体HER2过表达，两种组织学类型之间存在显著差异（P = 0.046）。在中位九年随访期间发生转移的6例患者中有5例肿瘤HER2呈阳性。因此，我们认为HER2表达可能有助于识别预后较差且可能适合靶向治疗的患者亚组。
