Sex-Related Differences in p63 and CD56 Expression in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52340/GBMN.2026.01.01.184Keywords:
CD56, Immunohistochemistry, P63, Papillary thyroid carcinoma, Sex differencesAbstract
BACKGROUND. Thyroid cancer is one of the most common endocrine malignancies and occurs significantly more frequently in women than in men. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms underlying sex-related differences remain incompletely understood. Immunohistochemical markers, including p63 and CD56, play an important role in the diagnosis of thyroid pathology; however, data regarding their sex-specific expression patterns are limited. OBJECTIVES. The present study aimed to compare the immunohistochemical expression of p63 and CD56 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) specimens obtained from female and male patients and to explore potential sex-related differences in their expression. METHODS. Surgical specimens obtained from 26 patients with PTC, including 22 women and 4 men, were investigated. Immunohistochemical evaluation of p63 and CD56 expression was performed using a semi-quantitative scoring system. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 21.0. Because of the ordinal nature of the immunohistochemical scores and the small sample size, comparisons between female and male patients were performed using the Mann–Whitney U test. RESULTS. No statistically significant sex-related differences were detected in the expression of p63 or CD56 (p>0.05). Because of the limited sample size, particularly the small number of male patients, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary. CONCLUSIONS. In this exploratory cohort, no statistically significant sex-related differences in p63 or CD56 expression were detected. Given the very small male subgroup, these findings should be interpreted with caution and cannot exclude clinically meaningful sex-related differences. Larger, adequately powered multicenter studies incorporating comprehensive clinicopathological and molecular data are required to further investigate potential sex-related differences in papillary thyroid carcinoma.References
Group 1 - Female patients (n=22)
Group 2 - Male patients (n=4)
p63 (clone 7JUL, Leica Biosystems)
CD56 (clone CD564, Leica Biosystems)
0 = negative
1 = ≤10%
2 = 11-50%
3 = 51-80%
4 = >80%
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