Fig. 6

Expression profiles of the somatostatin receptor (SST) subtypes SST1, SST2, SST3, SST4, and SST5 and the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in the medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) samples on the tissue microarray (TMA) at the protein level. A: Box plots of the expression levels (Immunoreactivity Score [IRS] values) as determined by immunohistochemistry of the SSTs and CXCR4. Median values, upper and lower quartiles, minimum and maximum values, and outliers are depicted. The outliers are defined as follows: circles: mild outliers, 1.5–3 times more extreme than the upper or lower quartiles; asterisks: extreme outliers, > 3 times as extreme as the upper or lower quartiles. B: Percentage of MTC on the TMA positive for the different SSTs and CXCR4. Only tumours with an IRS ≥3 were considered positive