Expression Pattern of Oestrogen Receptor in Follicular Thyroid Cancers: A 23 Years Retrospective Multicentre Study in Jos Metropolis, North-Central, Nigeria

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Follicular thyroid cancers (FTC) are the second most common type of thyroid malignancy, particularly prevalent among females. Oestrogen receptor (OR) status is significant for both the pathogenesis and prognosis of FTC, as tumours showing this marker might be candidates for targeted medical therapies. AIMS: This study aimed to assess the OR status of FTC cases during the specified study period, providing insights into possible responses to medical-targeted therapy. METHODS: This research was a hospital-based retrospective multicentre study. Data were collected from surgical pathology cancer registries. Tissue samples from the relevant cases were reviewed and classified, followed by immunohistochemistry analysis. The Allred scoring system was used for evaluation, and the data were analysed with SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) 20. Descriptive statistics were employed to calculate the frequencies of categorical variables, the mean and the mode of continuous variables. P value was set at ≤0.05. RESULTS: Among the 95 thyroid cancer cases reviewed, 34 (36%) were classified as FTC. The mean age was 49.8 years (±15.4), with a mode of 44.5 years, a median age of 42 years, and an age range from 32 to 70 years. A significant majority of the cases were female (and statistically significant), accounting for 64.7%, and minimally invasive FTC was the most frequently observed type. Out of the total cases, three (8.8%) tested positive for OR, all of whom were female. Of these, two cases had an OR score of 3 (5.9%), and one case had a score of 5 (2.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that the majority of follicular thyroid cancer cases were negative for ORs, with all positive cases occurring in females of reproductive age.