Estrogen Receptor Expression Pattern in Papillary Thyroid Cancers: A 23 Years Retrospective Multi-Centre Study in Jos Metropolis, North-Central, Nigeria

Introduction/Objective

Papillary Thyroid cancers (PTC) are the commonest malignancy of this organ and seen more often in females. Estrogen Receptor (ER) is important in the pathogenesis of the disease and impacts on the prognosis. The aim is to establish ER status of PTC seen at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and other health institutions in Jos Metropolis.

Methods/Case Report

This was a hospital based, retrospective multicenter study. The biodata of histologically diagnosed PTC were obtained from surgical pathology cancer registries and archived histology request forms between 1st January 1998 and 31st December, 2020. Archival slides and fresh sections from tissue blocks were reviewed, classified and subjected to immunohistochemistry (polymer technique). They were scored (using Allred scoring system) and data analyzed using SPSS-20.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

A total of 53 (56%) cases of histologically diagnosed PTC out of 95 cases of thyroid cancers were included in the study. The mean, mode, median and age range were 44.7±15.4 years, 45 years, 43 years and 13-80 years respectively. Majority of cases were females (81.1%), this was replicated across all age groups. Out of the total number of PTC cases recorded, 36 (67.9%) were classical variant while the remaining 17 (32.1%) were follicular variants. Nine cases (17%) were positive for ER while 44 (83%) were negative. Out of the positive cases, 7 (77.8%) were females with 2 (22.2%) males. The total scores assigned to positive cases were 3 (66.7%) and 4 (33.3%) and were predominant in females in the 4th decade.

Conclusion

Majority of PTC were seen in females and were negative for ER. This suggest that very few of our patients are likely to benefit from selective estrogen receptor targeted therapy and therefore Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radioiodine therapy remain the main stay of treatment for most cases in our locality.

Comparability of absolute/percent CD4+ T-lymphocytes completed locally and centrally. Hemophilia Growth and Development Study

The Hemophilia Growth and Development Study (HGDS) is a multicenter longitudinal study of 333 male children and adolescents with moderate or severe hemophilia, ranging in age from 6 to 19 at entry. Sixty-two percent of the cohort was infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the late 1970s and early 1980s through exposure to contaminated clotting factor concentrates. The HGDS has followed this cohort since 1989. HGDS subjects have blood drawn twice each year for t-lymphocyte subsets, with fresh blood shipped overnight to a central laboratory. T-lymphocyte subsets from the same blood draw are often determined locally as well. To evaluate interlaboratory variation, we examined the comparability of pairs of local and central results for CD4+ absolute counts and percents. Ninety-four pairs of absolute counts and 73 pairs of percent CD4 + results were available. We calculated concordance correlation coefficients, which evaluate the agreement between two readings from the sample by measuring the variation from the 45 degrees line through the origin. Absolute counts were square root transformed. Comparability of the pairs was high for both absolute counts and percents (0.93 and 0.92, respectively). Agreement was high whether we determined the CD4+ counts and percents centrally, using fresh samples received the day after the examination (0.95, 0.95), or from specimens that were frozen upon receipt and batched for later testing (0.90, 0.87). We conclude that when a centrally processed CD4+ result is unavailable because of shipping problems or loss of specimens, a study may reasonably accept a CD4+ result completed locally, if validity checks indicate good comparability. In the HGDS, the data provided by the local laboratories were of comparable quality to those provided by the central laboratories.