TY - JOUR T1 - IGF-IEc Expression Is Associated With Advanced Differentiated Thyroid Cancer JF - Anticancer Research JO - Anticancer Res SP - 2811 LP - 2819 DO - 10.21873/anticanres.13409 VL - 39 IS - 6 AU - APOSTOLOS K. KARAGIANNIS AU - ANASTASSIOS PHILIPPOU AU - SOFIA TSELENI-BALAFOUTA AU - EVAGGELOS ZEVOLIS AU - THEODORA NAKOUTI AU - MARIA TSOPANOMICHALOU-GKLOTSOU AU - VASILIS PSARRAS AU - MICHAEL KOUTSILIERIS Y1 - 2019/06/01 UR - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/39/6/2811.abstract N2 - Background/Aim: Recent knowledge implicates a differential expression of the insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) mRNA splice variants (i.e., IGF-IEa, IGF-IEb and IGF-IEc) in cancerous tissues, implying possible specific roles of the encoded IGF-I protein isoforms in cancer biology. In particular, there is growing evidence that the IGF-IEc isoform may play a distinct biological role in various types of cancers. The present study investigated whether IGF-IEc expression is associated with a particular type of thyroid cancer. Materials and Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of different types of thyroid cancers from 92 patients were assessed for IGF-IEc expression by immunohistochemistry. In addition, thyroid cancer biopsies of different TNM staging histological types were evaluated for mRNA expression of the IGF-IEc transcript by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: From the total number of 92 samples, 2 were anaplastic, 10 medullary, 4 hyperplasias of C-cells, 11 follicular, 5 hurtle cell carcinomas, 2 poorly differentiated, 5 nodular hyperplasias, 1 lymphoma and 52 were papillary thyroid cancers. The age of cancer diagnosis or tumor size did not significantly affect the IGF-IEc expression. Among all types of cancers, IGF-IEc was expressed in papillary differentiated thyroid cancer. Its expression/localization was mainly cytoplasmic and significantly associated with TNM staging and the presence of muscular and capsule cancerous invasion (p<0.05). Similarly, a differential profile was revealed regarding the mRNA expression of the IGF-IEc transcript, that exhibited a higher expression in aggressive compared to the non-aggressive papillary cancers. Conclusion: IGF-IEc isoform expression in thyroid cancer is positively associated with more advanced stages of papillary thyroid cancer. ER -