Background We report a new risk stratification of invasive stage papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) by combining invasive status, using extrathyroid invasion (Ex) status, and tumor growth speed using the Ki-67 labeling index (LI). Methods: We examined tumor recurrence in 167 patients with PTC who were surgically treated at the Kindai University Nara Hospital between 2010 and 2022. The patients were classified according to the degree of invasion [negative (Ex0) or positive (Ex1, Ex2, and Ex3)] and tumor growth speed expressed with Ki-67 LI, as low (<5%) or high (>5%). This study confirmed previous findings that the disease-free survival (DFS) rate in PTCs significantly differed between patients with a high and low Ki-67 index. Results: When combining Ex status (negative or positive) and Ki-67 proliferation status (low or high), the DFS rate of invasion in the negative, low Ki-67 LI group was only 1.1%, while that of invasion in the positive, high Ki-67 LI was 44.1%. This study reports for the first time that recurrence risks can be stratified accurately when combining carcinoma’s essential two features of extrathyroid invasion status and tumor growth speed. Conclusions: We believe the evidence for low tumor recurrence risk may contribute to use of more conservative treatment options for invasive-stage PTCs and help alleviate patient anxiety about tumor recurrence and death.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Clinicopathological, proliferative, molecular, and prognostic characteristics of differentiated high-grade thyroid carcinoma: a multicenter retrospective study Wenwen Cui, Lihang Xing, Zhenzhen Li, Xinjun Li, Junzhi Li Frontiers in Oncology.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Integrating Digital Ki-67 Labeling Index and K-TIRADS for Malignancy Risk Stratification in Thyroid Core Needle Biopsies Yujin Cha, Sue Youn Kim, Chankyung Kim, Ja Seong Bae, Dong-Jun Lim, So-Lyung Jung, Chan Kwon Jung Cancers.2026; 18(14): 2260. CrossRef
The Association of Interstitial Fibrosis and Ki67 Marker Expression in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Histopathological Findings and Prognosis of Total Thyroidectomy Osman Anıl Savaş, Selçuk Mercan, Amir Mahdi Akbari, Mehrdad Sheikhvatan Journal of Clinical Medicine.2026; 15(14): 5703. CrossRef
Ultrasound radiomics for preoperative evaluation of Ki-67 proliferation index in papillary thyroid carcinoma Hui Shi, Jiayi Qiu, YuLu Wu, Ying Zhang, HengQi Zhang, YunYun Liu, YiTong Li, JiaHui Ni, ChongKe Zhao, HuiXiong Xu, LiPing Sun, LeHang Guo, YiFeng Zhang Frontiers in Oncology.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Research Progress on the Correlation between Three Biomarkers, Ki-67, CAIX and VEGF and Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma 锦容 马 Advances in Clinical Medicine.2025; 15(09): 326. CrossRef
Immunophenotypic Panel for Comprehensive Characterization of Aggressive Thyroid Carcinomas Mihail Ceausu, Mihai Alin Publik, Dana Terzea, Carmen Adina Cristea, Dumitru Ioachim, Dana Manda, Sorina Schipor Cells.2025; 14(19): 1554. CrossRef
High Ki-67 labeling index correlates with aggressive clinicopathological features in papillary thyroid carcinoma: a retrospective study Defi Nurlia Erdian, Maria Francisca Ham, Dina Khoirunnisa, Agnes Stephanie Harahap Thyroid Research.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Background Follicular tumors include follicular thyroid adenomas and carcinomas; however, it is difficult to distinguish between the two when the cytology or biopsy material is obtained from a portion of the tumor. The presence or absence of invasion in the resected material is used to differentiate between adenomas and carcinomas, which often results in the unnecessary removal of the adenomas. If nodules that may be follicular thyroid carcinomas are identified preoperatively, active surveillance of other nodules as adenomas is possible, which reduces the risk of surgical complications and the expenses incurred during medical treatment. Therefore, we aimed to identify biomarkers in the invasive subpopulation of follicular tumor cells.
Methods We performed a spatial transcriptome analysis of a case of follicular thyroid carcinoma and examined the dynamics of CD74 expression in 36 cases.
Results We identified a subpopulation in a region close to the invasive area, and this subpopulation expressed high levels of CD74. Immunohistochemically, CD74 was highly expressed in the invasive and peripheral areas of the tumor.
Conclusions Although high CD74 expression has been reported in papillary and anaplastic thyroid carcinomas, it has not been analyzed in follicular thyroid carcinomas. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of CD74 expression in thyroid tumors has not yet been reported. The CD74-positive subpopulation identified in this study may be useful in predicting invasion of follicular thyroid carcinomas.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Carbonic Anhydrase 12 as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker and Therapeutic Target for High‐Risk Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma Masashi Tanida, Tsuyoshi Takashima, Shinichiro Tahara, Masaharu Kohara, Haruka Kanai, Masami Suzuki, Motoyuki Suzuki, Mitsuyoshi Hirokawa, Ayana Suzuki, Shinya Sato, Daisuke Okuzaki, Satoshi Nojima, Takahiro Matsui, Hidenori Inohara, Eiichi Morii Cancer Science.2026; 117(1): 257. CrossRef
An emerging role of CD74 in thyroid follicular cells in Hashimoto´s thyroiditis Pablo Sacristán-Gómez, Ana Serrano-Somavilla, Nuria Sánchez de la Blanca, Andrea Álvarez-Rodríguez, Eduardo Martínez-Parra, Miguel Sampedro-Nuñez, Fernando Sebastián-Valles, Mónica Marazuela, Rebeca Martínez-Hernández Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.2026; 194: 118945. CrossRef
Cell-state transitions and microenvironmental remodeling in thyroid cancer progression revealed by single-cell and spatial transcriptomics Xin Wang, Deshuang Tao, Jinming Xu, Wensi Liu, Zhiwu Ji, Hairui Zhou, Zhen Wang Frontiers in Immunology.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
The transcriptional landscape in thyroid cancer: current status of circulating biomarkers and liquid biopsy approaches Srabonti Ghosh, Avik Chakraborty, Bhakti Basu, Sandip Basu Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy.2026; : 1. CrossRef
Spatial heterogeneity in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: Mechanistic insights and clinical translation through single-cell and spatial transcriptomics Xiaoyu Ji, Yue Yu, Yingcheng Zhao, Xian Wu, Wei Sun, Hao Zhang Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology.2026; 227: 105588. CrossRef
Spatial Transcriptomics in Thyroid Cancer: A PRISMA-Style Systematic Review of Platforms, Architecture, and Clinical Applications Harel C. Sims, Jason J. Sims, Monica M. Guirgus, Colby S. Grames, Alfred A. Simental, Salma Khan Journal of Clinical Medicine.2026; 15(19): 7636. CrossRef
Diagnosis of invasive encapsulated follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinoma by protein-based machine learning Truong Phan-Xuan Nguyen, Minh-Khang Le, Sittiruk Roytrakul, Shanop Shuangshoti, Nakarin Kitkumthorn, Somboon Keelawat Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine.2025; 59(1): 39. CrossRef
Spatial Transcriptomics in Thyroid Cancer: Applications, Limitations, and Future Perspectives Chaerim Song, Hye-Ji Park, Man S. Kim Cells.2025; 14(12): 936. CrossRef
A New Tool to Decrease Interobserver Variability in Biomarker Annotation in Solid Tumor Tissue for Spatial Transcriptomic Analysis Sravya Palavalasa, Emily Baker, Jack Freeman, Aditri Gokul, Weihua Zhou, Dafydd Thomas, Wajd N. Al-Holou, Meredith A. Morgan, Theodore S. Lawrence, Daniel R. Wahl Current Issues in Molecular Biology.2025; 47(7): 531. CrossRef