VEGF expression, microvessel density and dendritic cell decrease in thyroid cancer

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic and clinical data of the patients with thyroid cancers.

Cases	Gender	Age	Histology	pT	Ly node metastasis	Distant metastasis	pTNM staging	Follow-up status
1	Female	69.0	PTC	T3	None	None	III	Deceased
2	Male	59.0	PTC	T2	Yes	None	III	Deceased
3	Female	67.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Deceased
4	Male	72.0	PTC	T2	Yes	None	III	Alive
5	Female	35.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
6	Female	50.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
7	Female	52.0	PTC	T3	None	None	III	Alive
8	Female	45.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
9	Female	63.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
10	Female		PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
11	Male	61.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
12	Female	54.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
13	Male	73.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
14	Female	69.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
15	Female	49.0	PTC	T3	None	None	III	Alive
16	Female	52.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
17	Female	67.0	PTC	T2	None	None	II	Deceased
18	Female		PTC	T2	None	None	II	Alive
19	Male	56.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Deceased
20	Female	58.0	PTC	T1	None	None	II	Alive
21	Female	46.0	PTC	T1	None	None	II	Alive
22	Female	66.0	PTC	T2	None	None	II	Alive
23	Female	72.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Deceased
24	Female	63.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
25	Female	50.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
26	Female	81.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	No data
27	Female	53.0	PTC	T2	None	None	II	Alive
28	Female	30.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Deceased
29	Female	57.0	PTC	T1	None	None	II	No data
30	Female	54.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
31	Female		PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
32	Female	22.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
33	Female		PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
34	Female	35.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
35	Female	39.0	PTC	T1	None	None	II	Alive
36	Female	66.0	PTC	T1	None	None	II	Alive
37	Female	51.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
38	Female	22.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
39	Female	38.0	PTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
40	Female	50.0	FTC	T2	None	None	I	Alive
41	Male		FTC	T2	None	None	I	No data
42	Male	69.0	FTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
43	Female	50.0	FTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
44	Female		FTC	T2	None	None	I	Alive
45	Female	64.0	FTC	T4	None	None	IV	Deceased
46	Female	45.0	FTC	T2	None	None	I	Alive
47	Male	62.0	FTC	T2	None	None	I	Alive
48	Female	47.0	ATC	T3	None	None	III	No data
49	Female	49.0	ATC	T3	None	None	III	No data
50	Male	63.0	ATC	T1	Yes	None	III	Alive
51	Female	64.0	ATC	T1	None	None	I	No data
52	Male	49.0	ATC	T2	None	None	II	Deceased
53	Female	78.0	ATC	T1	None	None	I	Deceased
54	Female	63.0	ATC	T3	None	None	I	Alive
55	Male	54.0	ATC	T3	None	None	III	No data
56	Female	48.0	ATC	T3	None	None	III	Alive
57	Female	79.0	ATC	T4	None	None	III	Deceased
58	Male	58.0	OTC	T2	None	None	I	Deceased
59	Female	58.0	OTC	T1	None	None	I	No data
60	Female	40.0	OTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
61	Female	66.0	OTC	T1	None	None	I	No data
62	Female	56.0	OTC	T1	None	None	I	Alive
63	Male	67.0	OTC	T2	Yes	None	III	Deceased
64	Female	57.0	OTC	T2	None	Yes	IV	Alive
65	Female	51.0	OTC	T1	Yes	None	III	Deceased

Table 2. Demographic, clinical data and histological and pathological characteristics of the tumour specimens according to the thyroid tumour type.

Characteristics	PTC N (%)	FTC N (%)	ATC N (%)	OTC N (%)	p-value
Age (mean ± SD)	54.17 ± 14.48	56.67 ± 9.59	59.40 ± 12.05	56.62 ± 8.52	0.718*
Gender					0.316**
Males	5 (12.8)	3 (37.5)	3 (30.0)	2 (25.0)
Females	34(87.2)	5 (62.5)	7 (70.0)	6 (75.0)
pT classification					<0.0001**
T1	36 (92.3)	7 (87.5)	4 (40.0)	8 (100)
T3	3 (7.7)	1 (12.5)	6 (60.0)	0 (0)
Lymph node metastases					0.214**
No	37 (94.9)	8 (100)	9 (90)	6 (75.0)
Yes	2 (5.1)	0 (0)	1 (10)	2 (25.0)
Distant metastases					0.065**
No	39 (100)	8 (100)	10 (100)	7 (87.5)
Yes	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1 (12.5)
pTNM staging					0.005**
I stage	25 (64.1)	7 (87.5)	3 (30)	5 (62.5)
II stage	9 (23.1)	0 (0)	1 (10)	0 (0)
III stage	3 (12.8)	0 (0)	6 (60)	2 (25.0)
IV stage	0 (0)	1 (12.5)	0 (0)	1 (12.5)
pTNM staging					0.010**
I–II stage	34 (87.2)	7 (87.5)	4 (40)	5 (62.5)
III–IV stage	5 (12.8)	1 (12.5)	6 (60)	3 (37.5)
Differentiation					<0.0001**
Low	3 (12.5)	0 (0)	3 (75.0)	3 (60.0)
Moderate	19 (79.2)	1 (25.0)	1 (25.0)	2 (40.0)
High	2 (8.2)	3 (75.0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Capsule					0.018**
None	4 (10.3)	2 (25.0)	5 (50.0)	4 (50.0)
Intermediate	3 (7.7)	0 (0)	2 (20.0)	0 (0)
Capsule	32 (82.1)	6 (75.0)	3 (30.0)	4 (40)
Capsule					0.008**
None	7 (17.9)	2 (25.0)	7 (70.0)	4 (50.0)
Present	32 (82.1)	6 (75.0)	3 (30.0)	4 (50.0)

*ANOVA test.

**χ² test.

Table 3. Immunohistochemical results for VEGF expression and S100- , CD1a- and CD83-positive cells in different types of thyroid cancers.

	PTC	FTC	ATC	OTC
Pathological characteristics	Mean ± SD median (range)	Mean ± SD median (range)	Mean ± SD median (range)	Mean ± SD median (range)	p-values
S100-positive cells in tumour stroma	2.40 ± 2.18	4.62 ± 4.19	5.06 ± 5.27	5.33 ± 6.29	0.570**
	1.76 (0.68–8.65)	3.94 (0.81–9.11)	2.44 (0.68–13.74)	2.79 (1.08–14.69)
S100-positive cells in tumour border	2.66 ± 2.35	4.98 ± 3.76	1.84 ± 1.10*	3.56 ± 2.34	0.433**
	2.58 (0–6.66)	3.53 (2.17–9.25)	1.76 (0.40–3.12)	3.44 (1.44–5.98)
CD1a-positive cells in tumour stroma	6.61 ± 11.05	2.13 ± 3.11	1.58 ± 1.98	1.22 ± 0.58	0.190**
	1.76 (0–43.40)	1.08 (0.40–9.11)	0.76 (0–4.62)	1.63 (0.40–1.76)
	*p = 0.085 vs. ATC
CD1a-positive cells in tumour border	2.56 ± 3.86	1.31 ± 1.14	0.78 ± 0.89	0.62 ± 0.69	0.079**
	1.36 (0–20.13)	1.22 (0–3.53)	0.54 (0–2.31)	0.40 (0–2.04)
	*p = 0.067 vs. ATC *p = 0.027 vs. OTC
CD83-positive cells in tumour stroma	1.17 ± 2.67	0.43 ± 0.54	0.97 ± 0.81	1.18 ± 1.36	0.358**
	0.54 (0–11.15)	0.27 (0–1.49)	0.95 (0.2.31)	0.81 (0.13–4.21)
		*p = 0.073 vs. OTC
CD83-positive cells in tumour border	1.56 ± 3.32	0.50 ± 0.76	0.69 ± 0.52	1.18 ± 1.11	0.470**
	0.54 (0–16.59)	0.14 (0–1.90)	0.54 (0–1.49)	0.68 (0–3.12)
VEGF					0.070^***
Negative	3 (7.7%)	1 (12.5%)	4 (40%)	2 (25.0%)
Positive	36 (92.3%)	7 (87.5%)	6 (60%)	6 (75.0%)

*Mann–Whitney U test.

**Kruskal–Wallis test.

***χ² test.

Figure 1. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in thyroid tissue: (a) VEGF-positive immune reaction in follicular cells of papillary thyroid cancer (×100 magnification); (b) VEGF expression in follicular cells of follicular thyroid cancer (×200 magnification); (c) VEGF negative immune reaction in anaplastic thyroid cancer (×200 magnification).

Figure 2. Microvessel density (MVD) in thyroid tissue: (a) CD31-positive vessels in a papillary thyroid cancer (×100 magnification); (b) CD31 staining in blood vessels in anaplastic thyroid cancer (×200 magnification); (c) CD31 staining in blood vessels in follicular thyroid cancer (×200 magnification).

Figure 3. Blood vessel density in different types of thyroid cancers.

Note: PTC, papillary thyroid cancer; FTC, follicular thyroid cancer; ATC, anaplastic thyroid cancer; OTC, oncocytic thyroid cancer. Data are presented as mean ± SD (*p = 0.039).

Figure 4. Dendritic cells in thyroid tissue: (a) CD1a-positive dendritic cells in papillary thyroid cancer (×200 magnification); (b) CD83-positive dendritic cells in anaplastic thyroid cancer (×200 magnification).

Figure 5. Correlation between CD1a- and CD83-positive dendritic cells in OTC (oncocytic thyroid cancer).

Figure 6. Kaplan–Meier survival plot for overall survival (OS) after surgical therapy of patients with PTC according to the microvessel density (MVD) (log-rank test).