Diagnostic value of CD56 immunohistochemistry in papillary carcinoma of thyroid

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of CD56 in papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. Methods Immunohistochemical staining of CD56 was performed in 49 cases of papillary carcinoma,18 cases of nodular goiter and 12 thyroid adenoma. Results Loss of CD56 expression was observed in 45 cases of thyroid papillary carcinoma except for one case.Focal CD56 expression was observed in the peripheral region of 3 papillary carcinomas.Loss of CD56 was unrelated to histologic variants and size of the papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.CD56 expression was observed in all paracancerous benign thyroid,nodular goiter and thyroid adenoma. Conclusion CD56 may be a novel maker in diagnosing papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.Loss of CD56 expression may helpful for the diagnosis of the papillary carcinoma of the thyroid,but is not related to its histological variant and size of the tumor.