DIAGNOSTIC ROLE OF GALECTIN-3 EXPRESSION IN BENIGN FOLLICULAR PATTERNED THYROID LESIONS, NON-INVASIVE FOLLICULAR THYROID NEOPLASM WITH PAPILLARY-LIKE NUCLEAR FEATURES (NIFTP), AND INFILTRATIVE FOLLICULAR VARIANT PAPILLARY THYROID CARCINOMA (IFVPTC)

Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine the role of Galectin-3 expression in distinguishing Benign follicular patterned thyroid lesions, non- Invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear Features (NIFTP), and invasive follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (IFVPTC). Methods: The Institutional Human Ethics Committee reference number is 271/pathology/09/2022. A total of 85 cases were included in the study after the histopathological evaluations based on strictly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Study groups were created as nodular hyperplasia, follicular adenoma, follicular carcinoma, NIFTP, invasive EFVPTCs, and classical papillary thyroid carcinomas. Cytoplasmic Galectin-3 Immunohistochemistry (IHC) expression was evaluated in these cases. Galectin-3 IHC scores data were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics. The Chi-square test was used to determine the association between the variables. p