Anaplastic Thyroid Tumors: Immunohistology

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Abstract
Using an avidin–biotin immunoperoxidase technic, the authors studied 29 anaplastic thyroid tumors (ATTs) to determine the frequency of hormonal (thyroglobuli—TG; calcitonin—CT), epithelial (epithelial membrane antigen, monoclonal keratin), or sarcoma (desmin; alpha-1-antichymotrypsin—ACT; vimentin) markers. Their results indicate that 27% of ATTs stain for TG and none for CT. Fifty-five percent showed epithelial markers, 48% marked for ACT, and 47% for vimentin. Coexpression of keratin and vimentin was found in 39% of cases tested. The expression of the tested antigens did not correlate significantly with histologic pattern (epithelial vs. “sarcomatous”). Of note is the fact that 30% of the ATTs the authors tested expressed none of the markers they examined, indicating total lack of differentiation.