Revisiting the Significance of Prominent C Cells in the Thyroid.
C cell hyperplasia is considered a precursor lesion for hereditary forms of medullary thyroid carcinoma. It has therefore been suggested as a morphological marker to distinguish hereditary from sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma and to triage genetic testing in resource poor settings. However, numerous definitions for C cell hyperplasia have been suggested, and there is surprisingly little data regarding the number of C cells present in thyroid glands removed for conditions other than medullary carcinoma. We therefore sought to investigate the specificity of different criteria for C cell hyperplasia. We examined the number of C cells and solid cell nests (ultimobranchial body remnants) present in 118 completion thyroidectomy specimens from patients without medullary carcinoma and with no risk factors for MEN2. Morphological review was performed on all H&E-stained slides, and immunohistochemistry for calcitonin was performed on one block from each case. Solid cell nests were found in 4 (3.3%) of thyroids. Increased numbers of C cells sufficient to fulfil criteria for C cell hyperplasia were found in 5 (4.2%) to 36 (30.5%) cases depending on the criteria used. We conclude that large numbers of C cells are commonly found in thyroids not associated with medullary carcinoma. Therefore, regardless of which criteria are used, the presence of C cell hyperplasia is not a specific marker for hereditary medullary thyroid carcinoma.
['Fuchs|Talia L|TL|', 'Bell|Stephen E|SE|', 'Chou|A|A|', 'Gill|Anthony J|AJ|']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine D005260:Female D006801:Humans D006965:Hyperplasia D007150:Immunohistochemistry D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D018813:Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2a D000076723:Negative Results D013961:Thyroid Gland D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms D013965:Thyroidectomy D055815:Young Adult
C cell hyperplasia Medullary thyroid carcinoma MEN2