Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare tumor representing 5–10% of thyroid cancers, with a 10-year survival rate is about 50–75%. It arises from a particular thyroid cell type: the parafollicular C-cells of the thyroid which secrete calcitonin (CT). Serum CT is a very sensitive and specific method for diagnosing MTC, however, the potential role of calcitonin receptor (CTR) expression on tumor aggressiveness and prognosis remained to be explored.
Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional protein frequently overexpressed, and involved in tumour progression in different types of cancer. In this study, we found that OPN is expressed in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), C cell hyperplasia and C cells, and at variance with other cancers, OPN expression is associated with good prognostic features and cell differentiation.
