title: Measurement of TFF3 mRNA in aspirates from thyroid nodules using mesh filtration: the first clinical trial in 130 cases.
abstract: Measurement of gene expression levels in thyroid tumor cells in aspirates was difficult because it is interfered with peripheral blood cells or infiltrating lymphocytes.  In this study, we established a novel method to separate thyroid tumor cells from blood cells efficiently with mesh filtration.  The expression level of trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) mRNA was estimated using LGALS3 mRNA as an internal control (T/G ratio) in 148 preoperative thyroid aspirates.  Intra-assay coefficients of variation (CV) of T/G ratio for high, moderate, and low samples were 6.5%, 2.5%, and 9.7%, respectively, and inter-assay CV for high, moderate, and low samples were 27.7%, 21.9%, and 38.2%, respectively.  Nondiagnostic samples in terms of T/G ratio and cytology were 12.2% and 16.9%, respectively.  We observed no interference with the data by contaminating blood cells.  Among these patients, 12 patients received more than two repeated aspirations.  We did not observe a marked day-to-day variation except in two cases.  All 13 preoperative aspirates diagnosed as malignant by cytology showed an extremely low T/G ratio, whereas 93 aspirates diagnosed as benign by cytology showed extremely varied T/G ratios and 21.5% of them showed a T/G ratio below the cut-off value.  Eleven cases underwent surgery.  All nodules showing a low T/G ratio were diagnosed as papillary carcinoma by pathological diagnosis.  However, one nodule diagnosed as follicular adenoma after surgery showed a high T/G ratio.  Our present method may be a promising preoperative test for measuring mRNAs in thyroid aspirates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kihara
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirokawa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwatani
authors.forename: Yoh
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hidaka
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyauchi
mesh_terms: D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D018265:Carcinoma, Papillary, Follicular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008851:Micropore Filters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000592:standards; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D057234:Preoperative Period; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012016:Reference Values; D013526:Surgical Mesh; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000071165:Trefoil Factor-3
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C082495:TFF3 protein, human; D000071165:Trefoil Factor-3