Caveolin-1 expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological parameters and BRAF mutation status.

ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate the role of caveolin-1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma pathogenesis.Study DesignCase series with chart review.SettingInstitute for the Application of Nuclear Energy.Subjects and MethodsWe evaluated the expression of caveolin-1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) by Western blot (WB) and compared the findings with immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of both epithelial and stromal caveolin-1 on the corresponding histological specimens. The results were related to clinicopathological features and BRAF mutation status.ResultsCaveolin-1 expression was found in malignant thyroid epithelium and more abundantly in tumor stroma but varied in both compartments within and between PTC subtypes. Caveolin-1 expression in the epithelium was more intense in classical PTC than in the other histological types. On the contrary, stromal caveolin-1 expression was stronger in the follicular, solid, and trabecular PTC variants than in classical PTC. Trends for down-regulation of caveolin-1 expr...