Expression of galectin-3 and its clinical application to preoperative cytological diagnosis in thyroid neoplasms

半乳糖凝集素-3是β-半乳糖苷结合蛋白家族的成员，在细胞-细胞粘附和细胞-基质相互作用中起重要作用，在许多肿瘤病变中均有表达。据报道，半乳糖凝集素-3影响肿瘤的进展和转移。我们检测了半凝集素-3在各种甲状腺肿瘤中的表达。用抗半乳糖凝集素-3抗体免疫组化染色检测标本中半乳糖凝集素-3的表达。根据染色面积和染色浓度计算半乳糖凝集素-3染色评分。滤泡腺瘤69例、滤泡癌62例、乳头状癌115例的平均染色评分分别为0.061、0.427、1.514。滤泡性癌的染色评分明显高于滤泡性腺瘤，乳头状癌的染色评分明显高于滤泡性腺瘤或其他癌。伴有淋巴结转移的乳头状癌原发灶中半乳糖凝集素-3的表达高于无转移灶。半凝集素-3在正常甲状腺组织中很少表达。半乳糖凝集素-3在3种组织学类型中的表达差异有统计学意义。根据这些结果，我们假设半乳糖凝集素-3在甲状腺肿瘤增殖的不同阶段以不同的方式起作用。此外，我们检测了半凝集素-3在甲状腺肿瘤残端细胞学标本中的表达。半乳糖凝集素-3在细胞学标本中的表达与石蜡层状标本相同。因此，半凝集素-3的表达有可能适用于甲状腺肿瘤的术前细胞学诊断。

Galectin-3 is a member of the β-galactoside-binding protein family which plays an important role in cell-cell adhesion and in cell-matrix interaction and is expressed in many neoplastic lesion. It is reported that Galectin-3 influences to the progression and metastasis. We examined expression of galectin-3 in various thyroid neoplasms. Expression of galectin-3 was evaluated in immunohistochemically stained specimen using anti-galectin-3 antibody. A galectin-3 staining score was calculated by using stained area and concentration. Mean staining score was respectively 0.061, 0.427, and 1.514 in 69 lesions of follicular adenomas, 62 of follicular carcinomas, and 115 of papillary carcinomas. Staining score was significantly higher in the follicular carcinomas than in the follicular adenomas and was significantly higher in the papillary carcinomas than in the follicular adenomas or carcinomas.Furthermore, primary lesion of papillary carcinomas with lymph node metastases expressed higher concentration of galectin-3 than that without metastases. Expression of galectin-3 was rarely found in normal thyroid tissues. Galectin-3 expression was significantly different in 3 histological types. From these results, we assumed that galectin-3 works in different ways at different stages of thyroid neoplasm proliferation.Moreover, we examined expression of galectin-3 in a stump cytology specimen of thyroid tumor. Galectin-3 was also well expressed in cytological specimens as same as paraffin-bedded specimens. Therefore, there is a possibility that expression of galectin-3 is applicable to use for preoperative cytological diagnosis of thyroid gland tumor.