Table 1.
Histopathological evaluation
| Biopsy | Group2 | Histology1 | L-score6 | pTpNM-stage (age, sex) |
Relapse (years)3 | Tumour4 |
Obs. (years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 181-I | PTC | L0 | T2AN0M0, (37, M) | No | PT | 15 | |
| 197-I | PTC-FV, thyroiditis | L2 | T1BN0M0, (50, M) | No | PT | 14 | |
| 198-IV | PTC, some histologic dediff. | L0 | T2AN1BM0, (13, F) | No | PT | 14 | |
| 219-II | PTC(diff) | PTC | L0 | T4AN0M0, (67, M) | No | PT | 6.0 (dead)5 |
| 222-IV | PTC | L0 | T1BN1BM0, (37, F) | No | PT | 14 | |
| 283-III | PTC, thyroiditis | L1 | T2AN1BM0, (22, F) | No | PT | 12 | |
| 300-V | PTC, squamous cell metaplasia | L1 | T3AN0M0, (43, F) | No | PT | 11 | |
| 317-IV | PTC | L0 | T1N1AM0, (30, F) | LN (9.1) | LN (r) | 11 | |
| 328-V | PTC | L0 | T2BN1AM0, (27, F) | No | PT | 10 | |
| 353-I | PTC-FV | L0 | T3BN0M0, (70, M) | No | PT | 9.0 (dead) | |
| 246-I | PTC-R-M1 | L0 | T4AN1AM0, (79, F) | LN, Lung (4.7) | LN (r) | 9.0 (dead) | |
| 247-IV | PTC-PD-M1, thyroiditis | L2 | T4AN1AM1, (83, F) | Lung metastases at diagnosis | PT | 0.4 (dead) | |
| 319-V | PTC-PD | L1 | T4AN1AM0, (79, F) | Residual tumour in trachea | LN | 2.0 (dead) | |
| 326-III | PTC(agg) | PTC-UD-M1 | L0 | T4AN1AM1, (72, M) | Lung metastases at diagnosis | PT | 0.1 (dead) |
| 345-III | PTC-PD, squamous cell metaplasia | L1 | T1BN1BM0, (37, M) | LN | LN | 3.4 (dead) | |
| 354-II | PTC-PD | L0 | T4AN0M0, (80, F) | No | PT | 10 | |
| 367-I | PTC-PD-R-M1 | L0 | T4AN0M1, (81, F) | Lung metastases at diagnosis | LN | 1.3 (dead) | |
| 379-I | PTC-PD | L1 | T4BN1BM0, (74, F) | No | PT | 9.0 | |
1:PTC: papillary thyroid carcinomas; FV: follicular variant; PD: poorly differentiated; UD: undifferentiated; R: relapse tumour; M1: presence of distant metastases. Representativity was assessed by histopathologic analysis from the immediate vicinity (neighbour section) to the biopsy used for extraction of total RNA. 2: PTC (diff): differentiated, with or without lymph node metastases; PTC (agg): poorly differentiated, or relapse tumour with synchronous distant metastases.
3: time from initial surgery to relapse (years). 4: PT: primary tumour; LN: lymph node metastasis in the neck, (r) = relapse. Biopsy 317 IV was not included in the microarray data. 5: Patient died from lung cancer not related to PTC. 6Semiquantitativ assessment of number of lymphocytes present in the biopsies: L0 = practically no lymphocytes, L1 = less than 10% of total number of cells, L2 = between 10-50% of total number of cells, L3 more than 50% of total number of cells. 7Section facing the part of the biopsy used for RNA extraction was classified as L0. Examination of two other sections taken from other parts of the same tumour revealed tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (both classified as L1), also extending into the non-neoplastic surrounding tissue.