| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000)
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| Research Abstract |
In 1994, Harach et al. histologically reviewed four cases of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)-associated thyroid cancer, and identified a distinctive morphology with unusual papillary carcinomas. The tumors had some features of papillary carcinoma, but also exhibited a cribriform pattern and solid areas with a spindle cell component. The authors concluded that this distinct histological picture should alert pathologists to screen such patients and their families far FAP. On the other hand, our group previously, in 1992, reported four unusual papillary thyroid carcinoma cases with peculiar nuclear clearings composed of microfilaments. It is now apparent that our reported cases are histologically identical to the cases described by Harach et al. Over one hundred cases of FAP-associated thyroid carcinoma have reported to date. Most showed the distinct histology that Harach et al. and our group have described. However, some thyroid cancers in non-FAP patients have shown this distinct morphology. Cameselle-Teijeiro et al. proposed naming this tumor the cribriform-morular variant of papillary carcinoma.
We performed ultrastructural and genetic studies of three patients with this type of carcinoma associated FAP. There were numerous microfilaments approximately 100 nm long, at the nuclear clearing area of the morular regions. Some patients showed germline APC mutations, and also had a somatic APC mutation. Both mutations were in previously unreported regions. Our study provides new information for understanding the development of this rare tumor.
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