[Study of the correlation of papillary thyroid carcinoma's invasion with Ezrin, Moesin and E-Cadherin].

Objective: To investigate the effects of Ezrin, Moesin and E-Cadherin on the invasion and metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC).

Methods: The 81 paraffin-embedded specimen of PTC treated in The Second Clinical College of Harbin Medical University from 2005 to 2008 were examined immunohistochemically for Ezrin, Moesin, and E-Cadherin. Normal thyroid tissues adjacent to cancer were control. The correlation of Ezrin, Moesin, and E-Cadherin expressions and clinical features of PTC, including gender, age, tumor size, invasion, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage, was analyzed.

Results: Positive staining rates of Ezrin and Moesin in PTC were significantly higher than those in control (χ(2) were 61.691 and 57.949, P < 0.01, respectively). Positive staining rate of E-Cadherin in PTC was significantly lower than that in control (χ(2) = 64.241, P < 0.01). The positive expression rates of Ezrin and Moesin in PTC increased in the subgroups with age ≥ 45 years, local invasion, lymph node metastasis and stage III-IV, with significant difference respectively (P < 0.01), while the positive expression rate of E-Cadherin in PTC significantly decreased (P < 0.01).

Conclusions: The up-regulation expressions of Ezrin and Moesin and the down-regulation expression of E-Cadherin were associated with the invasion and metastasis of PTC. Combined detection of Ezrin, Moesin and E-Cadherin in PTC might served as an important predictor for the invasion, metastasis and prognosis of PTC.