Expression of Galectin-3 and Galectin-7 in thyroid malignancy as potential diagnostic indicators

It has been suggested that Galectin-3 (Gal-3) and Galectin-7 (Gal-7) are potential tumour markers for differentiating thyroid carcinoma from its benign counter part. Galectins are beta-galactoside-binding proteins with Gal-3 being a redundant pre-mRNA splicing factor. They are supposed to be p53-related regulators in cell growth and apoptosis, being either anti-apoptotic or pro-apoptotic. Although the value of Gal-3 has been studied extensively, there is little knowledge regarding the expression of Gal-7 in thyroid malignancy.