Background: A subset of thyroid tumors characterized by a follicular growth pattern can represent a serious diagnosis. Immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology for genetic profiling have been used in an attempt to resolve some of these issues.
Methods: Tumor tissue samples of thyroid were obtained from 70 patients who underwent surgical therapy. They were divided into 4 groups: 20 adenomatous goiters, 10 follicular adenomas, 24 papillary carcinomas, and 16 follicular carcinomas. Immunohistochemical analysis was carried out using antibodies for MAGE-A4 (melanoma antigen-encoding gene A4) and MAGE-C1 (melanoma antigen-encoding gene C1).
Results: Standard histologic analysis and immunohistochemistry analysis of MAGE-A4 and MAGE-C1 expression were performed in all patients. The antigens examined were not expressed in any of the tissues.
Conclusions: The malignant degeneration of normal tissues is a multifactorial process, varying considerably both among tumor types and among individual patients. The present study showed that there was no immunolabeling of the MAGE-A4 and MAGE-C1 antigens.
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