About the journal

Cobiss

Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo 2018 Volume 146, Issue 5-6, Pages: 279-284
https://doi.org/10.2298/SARH170509173F
Full text ( 976 KB)


Lymphocytic infiltration as a prognostic factor in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Filipović Aleksandar (University of Montenegro, Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Department of Endocrine Surgery, Podgorica, Montenegro)
Vučković Ljiljana (University of Montenegro, Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Department of Pathology, Podgorica, Montenegro)

Introduction/Objective. We examine the prognostic significance and association between lymphocytic infiltration and papillary thyroid carcinoma. This manuscript aims to establish whether the presence of lymphocytic infiltration in the classical type of papillary thyroid carcinoma is a favorable prognostic factor for survival. Methods. This is a retrospective study of patients treated for papillary thyroid carcinoma at the Clinical Centre of Montenegro over a period of seven years (2010–2017). A total of 105 patients aged 12 to 84 years were included in the study, of which 74% showed concomitant histological evidence of lymphocytic infiltration. The patients were divided into two groups – one with lymphocytic infiltration and the other without it. Anti-CD3 and anti-CD20 antibodies were used to identify T and B lymphocytes. The prognostic outcome was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier survival plots. Results. The cohort with lymphocytic infiltration revealed a lower frequency of extrathyroidal invasion (p < 0.0001), nodal metastases (p < 0.0001), and the absence of distant metastases, compared with those without lymphocytic infiltration. Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is a favorable prognostic factor for survival in our examined group (p < 0.0001). Conclusion. The present study shows that immune reaction involving lymphocytic infiltration plays a role in extrathyroidal tumor growth and development of nodal and distant metastases in patients with papillary thyroid cancer. The presence of lymphocytic infiltration is a favorable factor for survival in the classical form of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Keywords: Papillary thyroid carcinoma, lymphocytic infiltration, prognostic factors