MicroRNA profiling predicts positive nodal status in papillary thyroid carcinoma in the preoperative setting. Issue 9 (2nd May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Napoli, Francesca; Rapa, Ida; Mortara, Umberto; Massa, Federica; Izzo, Stefania; Rigutto, Angelica; Zambelli, Vanessa; Bellevicine, Claudio; Troncone, Giancarlo; Papotti, Mauro; Volante, Marco
• Is Part Of: Cancer cytopathology. Volume 130:Issue 9(2022)
• Page Start: 695
• Page End: 704
• Publication Date: 2022-05-02
• Subjects: biomarkers -- cytology -- lymph node metastases -- miRNA -- papillary thyroid carcinoma; Cancer -- Cytopathology -- Periodicals; Pathology, Cellular -- Periodicals; Cytology -- Technique -- Periodicals; 611.01815
• DOI: 10.1002/cncy.22585
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1934-662X

Abstract

Abstract : BACKGROUND: The molecular characterization of thyroid nodules in cytological samples has so far been focused on discriminating between benign and malignant forms in a purely diagnostic setting. The evidence on the impact of molecular biomarkers to determine the risk of aggressiveness in cytologically "neoplastic" lesions is limited to genomic alterations (such as BRAF and TERT mutations). The aim of our study was to assess the preoperative role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in predicting the nodal status of patients with papillary thyroid cancer. METHODS: A pilot series of histological samples of papillary thyroid carcinoma with (6 cases) or without (6 cases) lymph node metastases, matched for other major clinical and pathological features, was analyzed for global miRNA expression in a screening phase. A set of miRNAs was then validated in a series of 63 consecutive cytological samples of papillary carcinomas: 48 pN‐negative and 15 pN‐positive at histology. RESULTS: Unsupervised cluster analysis segregated surgical pN‐negative and pN‐positive samples, except for 1 case. The 45 differentially expressed miRNAs in pN‐positive versus pN‐negative cases were predicted to regulate a wide range of cellular pathways, enriched for Wnt, gonadotropin‐releasing hormone receptor, and cerulein/cholecystokinin receptor signaling. In agreement with their profiles in surgical samples, 4 miRNAs of the 10 selected for validation (miR‐154‐3p, miR‐299‐5p, miR‐376a‐3p, and miR‐302E) had a significant differential expression in cytological samples of papillary carcinoma with lymph node metastases and predicted the positive nodal status with a relatively good performance. CONCLUSIONS: MiRNA profiling is a potential promising strategy to define papillary carcinoma aggressiveness in the preoperative setting. ; Abstract : Preoperative biomarkers predictive of aggressive behavior in thyroid cancer are needed. Our study indicate that a microRNA‐based approach is a feasible, methodologically robust, and accurate strategy to identify biomarkers to predict the presence of lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid carcinoma in the preoperative setting.