scholarly journals Emerging Biomarkers in Thyroid Practice and Research

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Shipra Agarwal ◽  
Andrey Bychkov ◽  
Chan-Kwon Jung

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. Recent developments in molecular biological techniques have led to a better understanding of the pathogenesis and clinical behavior of thyroid neoplasms. This has culminated in the updating of thyroid tumor classification, including the re-categorization of existing and introduction of new entities. In this review, we discuss various molecular biomarkers possessing diagnostic, prognostic, predictive and therapeutic roles in thyroid cancer. A comprehensive account of epigenetic dysregulation, including DNA methylation, the function of various microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs, germline mutations determining familial occurrence of medullary and non-medullary thyroid carcinoma, and single nucleotide polymorphisms predisposed to thyroid tumorigenesis has been provided. In addition to novel immunohistochemical markers, including those for neuroendocrine differentiation, and next-generation immunohistochemistry (BRAF V600E, RAS, TRK, and ALK), the relevance of well-established markers, such as Ki-67, in current clinical practice has also been discussed. A tumor microenvironment (PD-L1, CD markers) and its influence in predicting responses to immunotherapy in thyroid cancer and the expanding arena of techniques, including liquid biopsy based on circulating nucleic acids and plasma-derived exosomes as a non-invasive technique for patient management, are also summarized.

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiulong Xu ◽  
Helen Ding ◽  
Geetha Rao ◽  
Shalini Arora ◽  
Constantine P Saclarides ◽  
...  

The sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway is activated in several types of malignancy and plays an important role in tumor cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. SHH binding to a 12-pass transmembrane receptor, Patched (PTCH), leads to freeing of Smoothened (SMO) and subsequent activation of GLI transcription factors. In the present study, we analyzed the expression of SHH, PTCH, SMO, and GLI1 in 31 follicular thyroid adenomas (FTA), 8 anaplastic thyroid carcinomas (ATC), and 51 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) by immunohistochemical staining. More than 65% of FTA, PTC, and ATC specimens stained positive for SHH, PTCH, SMO, and GLI. However, the expression of the genes encoding these four molecules did not correlate with any clinicopathologic parameters, including the age, gender, the status ofBRAFgene mutation, tumor stage, local invasion, and metastasis. Three thyroid tumor cell lines (KAT-18, WRO82, and SW1736) all expressed the genes encoding these four molecules. 5-Bromo-2-deoxyuridine labeling and MTT cell proliferation assays revealed that cyclopamine (CP), an inhibitor of the SHH pathway, was able to inhibit the proliferation of KAT-18 and WRO82 cells more effectively than SW1736 cells. CP led to the arrest of cell cycle or apoptosis. Knockdown ofSHHandGLIexpression by miRNA constructs that targetSHHorGLImRNA in KAT-18 and SW1736 cells led to the inhibition of cell proliferation. Our results suggest that the SHH pathway is widely activated in thyroid neoplasms and may have potential as an early marker of thyroid cancer or as a potential therapeutic target for thyroid cancer treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Krupal B. Patel ◽  
Nicholas Cormier ◽  
James Fowler ◽  
Allison Partridge ◽  
Julie Theurer ◽  
...  

Objective. Detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in cancer patients can potentially serve as a noninvasive, sensitive test of disease status. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability to detect BRAF (V600E) mutations in the plasma of patients with thyroid nodules, with the goal of distinguishing between benign and malignant nodules. Methods. Consecutive patients with thyroid nodules who consented for surgery were recruited. Plasma samples were obtained preoperatively and one month postoperatively. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the levels of the BRAF (V600E) mutation preoperatively and postoperatively. Results. A total of 109 patients were recruited. On final pathology, 38 (32.8%) patients had benign thyroid nodules, 45 (38.8%) had classical papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), 23 (19.8%) had nonclassical PTC, and 3 (2.6%) had follicular thyroid cancer. 15/109 patients had detectable BRAF (V600E) ctDNA in their preoperative samples—all of them having classical PTC. Higher T-stage and extrathyroidal extension in PTC were associated with positive BRAF (V600E) ctDNA ( p < 0.05 ). Eighty-eight pairs of preoperative and postoperative plasma samples were collected and analyzed. Of these eighty-eight paired samples, a total of 13/88 (14.8%) patients had detectable BRAF (V600E) ctDNA in their preoperative samples—all of them having classical PTC. 12 of these 13 patients had no detectable BRAF (V600E) postoperatively, while one remaining patient had a significant decline in his levels ( p < 0.05 ). Conclusion. BRAF (V600E) circulating thyroid tumor DNA can be detected in plasma and is correlated with a final diagnosis of the classical variant of PTC. Given that a postoperative drop in BRAF (V600E) ctDNA levels was observed in all cases suggests its utility as a tumor marker.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-20
Author(s):  
A. A Ivanov ◽  
A. M Avdalyan ◽  
V. J Gerval’d ◽  
E. L Lushnikova ◽  
Yu. N Zorkina ◽  
...  

On the material of the 67 cases of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) authors executed the study of the interrelationship between the BRAF mutation V600E and the forecast, biomolecular and morphological characteristics of the disease. There was implemented the analysis of samples for the presence of 7 KRAS gene mutations, 4 mutations of the PIK3CA gene, mutation BRAF V600E with the revealing of the interrelationship between such biomolecular markers for proliferation and apoptosis as Ki-67, p53, Bcl2. Also there was performed chromogenic hybridization (CISH method) in situ to study the status of the HER2 gene. There was determined the interrelationship between BRAF mutation V600E and clinical indices of prognosis: tumor sizes, capsule invasion, presence of metastases in regional lymph nodes. In addition, there was evaluated the interrelationship between BRAF mutation V600E and 10-years survival rate. No mutation were identified in KRAS, PI3K genes. BRAF mutation V600E was identified in 50 cases (75%). The frequency of V600E in women accounted of 75 ± 6.4%, in men - 67 ± 27.1%. In patients with the presence of V600E the size of a node was slightly less than in the absence of mutations and in 76% of cases did not reach the average value of 1.8 cm. Invasion into the capsule was identified in 35 ± 12.7% cases with a positive BRAF mutation V600E status and in 56 ± 8.4% - in cases with a negative status. Metastases in regional lymph nodes occurred in 36 ± 11.6% in patients with V600E and in 47 ± 18.9% of cases without this mutation. There was obtained the interrelationship between V600E and Ki-67: the average level of the proliferative activity in the presence of the given mutation was 4.4 ± 0.6%, in the absence - 9.4 ± 3.9%. No interrelationship was obtained between V600E and other biomolecular parameters or this interrelationship was tendentious in character. In terms of 10-years survival the groups with or without V600E statistically did not differ. Based on the data, it was possible to say about the absence of the negative impact of V600E on the prognosis in PTC patients


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 188-193
Author(s):  
Anatoly A. Ivanov ◽  
A. M Avdalyan ◽  
V. J Gerval'd ◽  
E. L Lushnikova ◽  
Yu. N Zorkina ◽  
...  

The aim of our research was to determine the possibilities to stratify patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) on the group’s forecast, depending on the status of the mutation BRAF v600e and Ki-67 expression. The study included 89 PTC patients with the known prognosis for the period of 2005-2015. They were treated in the Altai regional oncology center and underwent surgery for PTC over the period of 2005-2013. Mutation p. Val600Glu (V600E) BRAF gene was determined with the use of allele-specific real-time PCR kit «Real-time-PCR-BRAF-V600E («BioLink»)». Immunohistochemical examination was performed with antibodies Ki-67 (clone MIB1, «DAKO») on stainer «Ventana XT» according to standard protocols. We revealed BRAF V600E not to be an independent predictor. Different variants of PTC, depending on the level of expression of Ki-67 in combination with a mutation of BRAF V600E was allowed to identify 3 groups of molecular types of PTC: a lack of mutation and a low Ki-67 (type I), with mutation and a low Ki-67 (type II) and with the presence and/or absence of a mutation and high level Ki-67 (type III). I molecular type PTC is the most favorable from the point of view of survival: 100% of patients live 10 years. Molecular type II is characterized by an intermediate prognosis: 76% of patients lived out up to 10 years. Molecular type III is characterized by the poor prognosis: only 36.8 percent of cases lived up to 10 years. In multivariate analysis of survival in PTC patients the independent prognostic factor happened to be the molecular type of tumor. In this case χ2 = 35 at p ≤ 0.000005.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Jakubikova ◽  
Elin Schoultz ◽  
Ellen Johansson ◽  
Shawn Liang ◽  
Konrad Patyra ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23
Author(s):  
Nikolai S. Grachev ◽  
Elena V. Feoktistova ◽  
Igor N. Vorozhtsov ◽  
Natalia V. Babaskina ◽  
Ekaterina Yu. Iaremenko ◽  
...  

Background.Ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the gold standard in diagnosing the pathological nature of undetermined thyroid nodules. However, in some instances limitations and shortcomings arise, making it insufficient for determining a specific diagnosis.Objective.Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of ACR TI-RADS classification of neck ultrasound as a first-line diagnostic approach for thyroid neoplasms in pediatric patients.Methods.A retrospective analysis was made of FNA and US protocols in 70 patients who underwent the examination and treatment at Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center between January 2012 and August 2017. In the retrospective series 70% (49/70) of patients undergone FNA and 43% (30/70) of them undergone repeated FNA. All US protocols were interpreted according to ACR TI-RADS system by the two independent experts. The clinical judgment was assessed using the concordance test and the reliability of preoperative diagnostic methods was analized.Results.According to histologic examination protocols, benign nodules reported greater multimorbidity 29% (20/70), compared with thyroid cancer 17% (12/70), complicating FNA procedure. A statistically significant predictor of thyroid cancer with a tumor size ACR TI-RADS showed a significant advantage of ACR TI-RADS due to higher sensitivity (97.6 vs 60%), specificity (78.6 vs 53.8%), positive predictive value (87.2 vs 71.4%), and negative predictive value (95.7 vs 41.2%). Concordance on the interpreted US protocols according to ACR TI-RADS classification between two experts was high, excluding accidental coincidence.Conclusion.The data support the feasibility of US corresponding to the ACR TI-RADS classification as a first-line diagnostic approach for thyroid neoplasm reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies for thyroid nodules.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 6726
Author(s):  
Agata M. Gaweł ◽  
Maciej Ratajczak ◽  
Ewa Gajda ◽  
Małgorzata Grzanka ◽  
Agnieszka Paziewska ◽  
...  

Background: Thyroid carcinoma (TC) is the most common endocrine system malignancy, and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounts for >80% of all TC cases. Nevertheless, PTC pathogenesis is still not fully understood. The aim of the study was to elucidate the role of the FRMD5 protein in the regulation of biological pathways associated with the development of PTC. We imply that the presence of certain genetic aberrations (e.g., BRAF V600E mutation) is associated with the activity of FRMD5. Methods: The studies were conducted on TPC1 and BCPAP (BRAF V600E) model PTC-derived cells. Transfection with siRNA was used to deplete the expression of FRMD5. The mRNA expression and protein yield were evaluated using RT-qPCR and Western blot techniques. Proliferation, migration, invasiveness, adhesion, spheroid formation, and survival tests were performed. RNA sequencing and phospho-kinase proteome profiling were used to assess signaling pathways associated with the FRMD5 expressional status. Results: The obtained data indicate that the expression of FRMD5 is significantly enhanced in BRAF V600E tumor specimens and cells. It was observed that a drop in intracellular yield of FRMD5 results in significant alternations in the migration, invasiveness, adhesion, and spheroid formation potential of PTC-derived cells. Importantly, significant divergences in the effect of FRMD5 depletion in both BRAF-wt and BRAF-mutated PTC cells were observed. It was also found that knockdown of FRMD5 significantly alters the expression of multidrug resistant genes. Conclusions: This is the first report highlighting the importance of the FRMD5 protein in the biology of PTCs. The results suggest that the FRMD5 protein can play an important role in controlling the metastatic potential and multidrug resistance of thyroid tumor cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 208
Author(s):  
Anna Angelousi ◽  
Georgios Kyriakopoulos ◽  
Fani Athanasouli ◽  
Anastasia Dimitriadi ◽  
Eva Kassi ◽  
...  

Adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare cancer with poor prognosis that needs to be distinguished from adrenocortical adenomas (ACAs). Although, the recently developed transcriptome analysis seems to be a reliable tool for the differential diagnosis of adrenocortical neoplasms, it is not widely available in clinical practice. We aim to evaluate histological and immunohistochemical markers for the distinction of ACCs from ACAs along with assessing their prognostic role. Clinical data were retrospectively analyzed from 37 patients; 24 archived, formalin-fixed, and paraffin-embedded ACC samples underwent histochemical analysis of reticulin and immunohistochemical analysis of p27, p53, Ki-67 markers and were compared with 13 ACA samples. Weiss and Helsinki scores were also considered. Kaplan−Meier and univariate Cox regression methods were implemented to identify prognostic effects. Altered reticulin pattern, Ki-67% labelling index and overexpression of p53 protein were found to be useful histopathological markers for distinguishing ACAs from ACCs. Among the studied markers, only pathological p53 nuclear protein expression was found to reach statistically significant association with poor survival and development of metastases, although in a small series of patients. In conclusion, altered reticulin pattern and p53/Ki-67 expression are useful markers for distinguishing ACCs from ACAs. Immunohistopathology alone cannot discriminate ACCs with different prognosis and it should be combined with morphological criteria and transcriptome analysis.


2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 891-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-Hee Kim ◽  
Ja Seong Bae ◽  
Dong-Jun Lim ◽  
Hyoungnam Lee ◽  
So Ra Jeon ◽  
...  

The BRAF V600E mutation is the most common genetic alteration in thyroid cancer. However, its clinicopathological significance and clonal mutation frequency remain unclear. To clarify the inconsistent results, we investigated the association between the allelic frequency of BRAF V600E and the clinicopathological features of classic papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Tumour tissues from two independent sets of patients with classic PTC were manually microdissected and analysed for the presence or absence of the BRAF mutation and the mutant allelic frequency using quantitative pyrosequencing. For external validation, the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data were analysed. The BRAF V600E mutation was found in 264 (82.2%) out of 321 classic PTCs in the training set. The presence of BRAF V600E was only associated with extrathyroidal extension and the absence of thyroiditis. In BRAF V600E-positive tumours, the mutant allelic frequency varied from 8 to 41% of the total BRAF alleles (median, 20%) and directly correlated with tumour size and the number of metastatic lymph nodes. Lymph node metastases were more frequent in PTCs with a high (≥20%) abundance of mutant alleles than in those with a low abundance of mutant alleles (P=0.010). These results were reinforced by validation dataset (n=348) analysis but were not reproduced in the TCGA dataset. In a population with prevalent BRAF mutations, quantitative analysis of the BRAF mutation could provide additional information regarding tumour behaviour, which is not reflected by qualitative analysis. Nonetheless, prospective studies are needed before the mutated allele percentage can be considered as a prognostic factor.


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