Table 1 Scoring system for Col1, Col4, a-SMA, and MMP-9—location score
From: The expression of stromal biomarkers in small papillary thyroid carcinomas
Score | Expression of Col1 | Expression of Col4 | Expression of a-SMA | Expression of MMP-9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | No expression | No expression | No expression | No expression |
1 | Same expression as in the healthy parts of the thyroid/lymph node sample. Col1-expression in connective tissue, fibrous capsule, and trabeculae | Same expression as in the healthy parts of the thyroid/lymph node sample. Col4 expression in the basement membrane (BM) | Same expression as in the healthy parts of the thyroid/lymph node sample. a-SMA expression in the vessels and myofibroblasts | Same expression as in the healthy parts of the thyroid/lymph node sample. MMP-9 expression in the epithelial cells |
2 | Different expression in the tumor stroma and in-between cancerous cells compared with the healthy tissue, such as differences in fiber thickness, intracytoplasmic/nuclear expression, and loss of structure | Different expression in the tumor stroma and in-between cancerous cells compared with the healthy tissue, such as loss of structure (BM) and fiber thickness | Different expression in the tumor stroma and in-between cancerous cells compared with the healthy tissue, such as differences in fiber thickness, myofibroblast differentiation | Different expression in the tumor stroma and in-between cancerous cells compared with the healthy tissue, such as intracytoplasmic/nuclear expression |