TUBULIN, A POSSIBLE MARKER FOR THE PROGNOSTIC
STRATIFICATION AND THERAPY IN PAPILLARY THYROID
CARCINOMA
DELIA CIOBANU 1,2, IRINA-DRAGA CĂRUNTU 1*, LUDMILA LOZNEANU 1,2, ELENA CORINA ANDRIESCU 1,2, LETIȚIA LEUȘTEAN 3,4, SIMONA ELIZA GIUȘCĂ 1
1Department of Morpho-functional Sciences I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, Iași, Romania
2Department of Pathology, “Sf. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Iași, Romania
3Department of Medical Specialities II, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, Iași, Romania
4Department of Endocrinology, “Sf. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Iași, Romania
*corresponding author: irinadragacaruntu@gmail.com
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Abstract:
The present study aims to analyse the expression of class III β-tubulin (TUBB3) in different histological subtypes of papillary
thyroid carcinoma (PTC), its relationship with the clinico-pathological factors and the potential prognostic role in the risk
stratification and therapy. We evaluated the immunohistochemical TUBB3 expression in 70 cases of sporadic PTC divided in
low- and high-risk subgroups based on histological criteria. We demonstrated a significant correlation between TUBB3
expression (low and moderate versus high) and the risk subgroups and tumour relapse, respectively. No association was
found between TUBB3 expression and age, gender, tumour size, tumour focality, lympho-vascular invasion, extrathyroidal
extension, lymph node metastases and tumour stage. Our results sustain the potential of TUBB3 as marker for prognostic
stratification. Consequently, the therapy with taxanes, anti-microtubule agents that inhibit mitosis by disrupting microtubules,
could be considered in the aggressive PTC cases that need a personalized therapy.

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