Cell receptor studies on six anaplastic tumours of the thyroid.

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Abstract
Cell suspensions from 6 anaplastic thyroid tumors were studied for expression of lymphocyte and macrophage surface markers, and the results were correlated with EM, clinical extent of disease and response to radiotherapy. The clinical presentation of the disease was similar in all 6 patients. In 5 cases, many of the cells showed surface immunoglobulin. EM was available on 3 of these and showed appearances in keeping with malignant lymphoma. The single case whose cells did not show surface immunoglobulin had an entirely different ultrastructure and was probably a carcinoma. This case was the only 1 that did not achieve complete remission with radiotherapy and the patient died from extensive local recurrence. Receptor techniques are of value in distinguishing between malignant lymphoma and other anaplastic tumors of the thyroid, particularly when the results are correlated with histology.