Testing Platform Helps Diagnose Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules Without Surgery
Two new molecular tests from Interpace Diagnostics are geared to distinguish between thyroid nodules that are benign and those that are malignant.
"One of the key challenges is when you have a suspicious nodule, you have to determine whether it is benign or malignant to determine if the patient has to go to surgery. After fine-needle aspiration, about 20% to 30% are indeterminate,” said researcher Emmanuel Labourier, PhD, in a Medscape Medical News report. “What we have done is come up with a new approach, which is a combination test—for the first time, we are able to both rule in and rule out malignancy.”
Relate Content:
Hospitalization Rates in Chemo Trials May Be Misleading
New Tool Will Compare Costs and Benefits of Cancer Treatments
Designed to be used together, the ThyraMIR microRNA gene-expression classifier and the genetic-mutation panel ThyGenX aim to reduce the need for unnecessary surgery in patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules.
“So today what happens in almost all cases, they take you in for surgery because they do not want to run the risk that you have cancer,” explained Nancy Lurker, Interpace Diagnostic CEO, in an article on NJTV News. “And unfortunately of the 30% [patients with indeterminate results after fine-needle aspiration] that go in for surgery, 80% of the time it is benign,” and the patient is left without a thyroid gland.
In a recent study in the online Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, the combination tests had a 94% negative predictive value (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 85-98%), 89% overall sensitivity (95% CI, 73-97%), and 85% specificity (95% CI, 75-92%), Dr Labourier and colleagues wrote. The multicenter investigation involved 109 nodules with indeterminate cytology and compared results from the tests with surgical histopathology.—Jolynn Tumolo
References
- Labourier E, Shifrin A, Busseniers AE, et al. Molecular testing for miRNA, mRNA, and DNA on fine-needle aspiration improves the preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2015 May 12. [Epub ahead of print].
- Tucker ME. New test distinguishes benign from malignant thyroid nodules. Medscape Medical News. May 17, 2015.
- Vannozzi B. Using new tests to better diagnose thyroid cancer. NJTV News. May 19, 2015.
