Lack of Diagnostic Utility of Vimentin Immunostaining

Abstract

We documented the coexpression of cytokeratins and vimentin in eithelial cells of the thyroid gland in 100 samples examined from 65 patients. These included normal, inflammatory, and neoplastic tissues that were routinely fixed in formalin and embedded on paraffin. The number of epithelial cells coexpressing the two intermediate filament proteins as well as the subcellular compartmentalization of vimentin immunoreactivity did not correlate with the various conditions of the thyroid gland. Therefore, we conclude that the immunolocalization of vimentin does not represent a useful adjunct tool for the histopathological diagnosis of thyroid diseases.