Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the expression pattern of galectin-3 and β-catenin and assess the nuclear morphometric features of different thyroid lesions in order to investigate their diagnostic significance.

Materials and methods: Sixty specimens of benign and malignant thyroid lesions, in addition to 10 cases of normal thyroid tissue used as control, were immunohistochemically stained with antibodies against galectin-3 and β-catenin. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides were examined using image analyzer Proplus V software. Morphological parameters measured included mean nuclear diameter, mean nuclear perimeter, and mean nuclear area.

Results: Cytoplasmic immunoreactivity for galectin-3 was strongest in papillary thyroid carcinomas (88.9%), whereas staining was less intense in the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma and in follicular (60 and 75%, respectively) and poorly differentiated carcinomas (28.6%); it was expressed focally and weakly in follicular adenoma cases and even more weakly in the reactive follicular epithelium of nodular goiter (P