Media University of Babylon | Board Candidate Discussion at University of _Babylon College of Medicine for Iraqi Council Fellowship in Pathology

Media University of Babylon - Faculty of Medicine

Board Candidate Discussion at University of _Babylon College of Medicine for Iraqi Council Fellowship in Pathology

By : Zaynab Kadhim Ameen Awadh

Date : 24/2/2025 48:51:12 PM

Board Candidate Discussion at University of _Babylon College of Medicine for Iraqi Council Fellowship in Pathology

As part of the requirements for obtaining the Iraqi Board Fellowship in Pathology (Histopathology), a research proposal discussion was held at the Pathology Department of the College of Medicine for board candidate Hiba Abbas Saad Al-Araji. Her study, titled “PD-L1 Expression in Different Pathological Types of Thyroid Cancer and Its Clinical Prognostic Significance,” was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hadeel Abdul-Ilah Karbal.

In her study, the researcher highlighted that thyroid cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the endocrine glands and the fifth most prevalent cancer among women in the United States. Its annual incidence rate has tripled over the past two decades, with an average annual rate of 21.4% in females and 7.3% in males between 2011-2015. In Iraq (2022), thyroid cancer was the fourth most common cancer, with 2,402 newly registered cases (6.1%).

She explained that thyroid cancer includes:
• Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC)
• Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC)
• Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC)

MTC arises from parafollicular thyroid cells, while other types originate from follicular epithelial cells. MTC accounts for 1-2% of thyroid cancer cases, while DTC is the most prevalent, comprising 90% of all thyroid cancers. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) make up 80% and 10% of thyroid cancers, respectively.

She also discussed Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1), an immune checkpoint molecule found on the membrane of immune, epithelial, and cancer cells. Its primary receptor, Programmed Death-1 (PD-1), acts as an inhibitory receptor on the surface of antigen-stimulated T cells.

The study aimed to evaluate PD-L1 immunohistochemical expression in thyroid cancer cases and correlate it with clinical pathological factors.

Key Findings:
• Among 50 patients, 90% were female and 10% were male, with a mean age of 40.4 years.
• Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) was the most prevalent diagnosis (74% of cases).
• PD-L1 was expressed in 46% of patients.
• PD-L1 expression was significantly associated with male gender (P < 0.001) and PTC tissue (P = 0.003).
• No significant correlation was found between PD-L1 expression and age, tumor size, focality, or staging.

Conclusion:

The study concluded that PD-L1 could serve as a valuable biomarker for diagnosis and may guide immunotherapy approaches in thyroid cancer treatment.
By: Abbas Mejeed