Expression of estrogen receptor in differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Aim: To investigate the clinical significance of estrogen receptor(ER) expression in differentiated thyroid carcinoma(DTC) tissue.Methods: A total of 43 cases of DTC(including 39 cases of papillary thyroid carinoma and 4 cases of follicular thyroid carcinoma),30 cases of thyroid adenoma, and 16 cases of normal thyroid tissue around thyroid adenoma were subjected to detect ER by using immunohistochemical SP method. Results: The positive rates of ER in the DTC,the thyroid adenoma,and normal thyroid tissue were 53.6%(23/43), 26.7%(8/30), and 12.5%(2/16),respectively.The positive rate in DTC was significantly higher than those in the thyroid adenoma and the normal thyroid tissue(P0.05). The positive rates in female with DTC was significantly higher than that in male, and that in those aged less than 45 years was significantly higher than that in those aged more than 45 years. Conclusion: DTC may be a kind of estrogen-dependent tumor.