Proliferative Markers in Diagnosis of Thyroid Tumors: A Comparative Study of MIB-1 and Topoisomerase II-α Immunostaining

Abstract

Background: The differential diagnosis of well-differentiated tumors of follicular cell origin remains a most problematic task in thyroid pathology. Therefore, various diagnostic/prognostic thyroid markers are currently being studied. The aim of our study was to evaluate the proliferative MIB-1 and topoisomerase II-α markers in both oncocytic and non-oncocytic epithelial thyroid tumors. Materials and Methods: Proliferative activity was analyzed by means of immunohistochemistry in 215 thyroid tumors and the evaluated proliferative indices (PI) were correlated with morphological diagnosis. Comparison of both proliferative markers was made. The results were statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon tests (significance level p<0.05) and the Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: Carcinomas generally showed significantly higher PI than adenomas, irrespective of their oncocytic or non-oncocytic features. Moreover, PI in oncocytic adenomas was significantly higher than in non-oncocytic ones. However, PI in both oncocytic and non-oncocytic carcinomas, including papillary microcarcinomas, were similar. The studied proliferative markers correlated with each other. Conclusion: PI can help the differential diagnosis of morphologically difficult cases of thyroid tumors. Oncocytic adenomas have higher malignant potential and should be promptly surgically removed. Both MIB-1 and topoisomerase II-α are recommended for the evaluation of thyroid tumor cell proliferation.