title: Accuracy of fine needle aspiration biopsy with and without the use of tumor markers in cytologically indeterminate thyroid lesions.
abstract: We investigated if the use of two tumor markers, galectin-3 and CD44v6, could improve diagnostic accuracy of thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in cytologically indeterminate lesions (CIL). 351 patients with CIL [cellular follicular lesion/suspicious follicular neoplasm/suspicious Hürthle cell neoplasm (CFL/sFN/sHCN), Hürthle cell neoplasm (HCN), and follicular neoplasm (FN)] and surgical follow-up were investigated. 251 patients had FNAB diagnoses made without help of tumor markers and the rest of 100 patients had FNAB diagnoses made with a known expression of tumor markers determined by the reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Risk of malignancy in all 351 patients with CIL was 6.8%. In the group with FNAB made without RT-PCR, there were 140 CFL/sFN/sHCN with the risk of malignancy of 4.2%, 92 FN with the risk of malignancy of 13.0%, and 19 HCN with the risk of malignancy of 5.2%. In the group with FNAB made with RT-PCR, there were 49 CFL/sFN/sHCN with the risk of malignancy of 2.0%, 40 FN with the risk of malignancy of 7.5%, and 11 HCN with the risk of malignancy of 9.0%. In the group with at least one positive tumor marker (N = 69), the risk of malignancy was 3.1% for CFL/sFN/sHCN, 11.1% for FN, and 10.0% for HCN. In the group with negative tumor markers (N = 31) there were no malignancies. The use of tumor markers, galectin-3 and CD44v6, determined by RT-PCR improves only sensitivity of thyroid FNAB in CIL. In most patients with CIL, and negative both tumor markers, conservative approach is advisable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital "Sestre milosrdnice", Zagreb, Croatia. nmatesa@kbsm.hr
authors.forename: Neven
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matesa
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Samija
authors.forename: Zvonko
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kusić
mesh_terms: D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018249:Adenoma, Oxyphilic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000592:standards*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; C112697:CD44v6 antigen; C081856:LGALS3BP protein, human; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins