Autocrine Activation of Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor Alpha in Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Metastatic dissemination of papillary thyroid cancer has been reported to be strongly associated with expression of platelet derived growth factor alpha (PDGFR α) and altered TTF1 function. However, the status of PDGF ligands in papillary thyroid cancer and the potential role of these ligands in metastatic disease are obscure. We assessed the prevalence of PDGF ligands in benign and malignant thyroid tumors to determine if ligand up-regulation is associat ed with alpha-isoform (PDGF-AA or PDGF-BB) or the beta-isoform (PDGF-BB or PDGF-DD) of PDGFR in individual tumors.
Source: Human Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Original contribution Source Type: research