[The existence of thyroglobulin in metastatic lymph nodes of thyroid carcinoma and significance of measurement of blood Tg level after surgery].

Abstract

On the basis of a biochemical study of thyroid papillary and follicular carcinoma tissue (original focus, its periphery and cervical lymph node metastasis), we endeavoured to determine whether or not there was any Tg in the metastatic lymph node, and if there was, to extract and refine it, and also to determine the biochemical properties of Tg. We also investigated the relationship between the increase of blood Tg and the status of lymph node metastasis after surgery for thyroid carcinoma. There was found to be a noticeable decrease in Tg content per unit weight of the metastatic lymph node, and the iodine content in most cases had dropped almost to zero. This means that although Tg is biosynthesized in the metastatic lymph node, there is, in most cases, less than one atom of iodine per molecule of Tg, and we could find very little evidence of the formation of the thyroid hormone. As far as avidity for the antibody is concerned, that in cancer tissue Tg was much lower than that in healthy tissue Tg, and this was even more noticeable in metastatic node Tg than in primary focus Tg. In the sugar chain structure of the metastatic node, there was a lack of uniformity not seen in healthy tissue. In the lymph node metastatic focus, the production of structural Tg was noted. We also recognized the possibility that the increase of blood Tg level following surgery originates from the metastatic lymph nodes and other sites of recurrence.