Indeterminate thyroid cytology (Bethesda III and IV) corresponds to follicular-patterned benign and malignant lesions, which are particularly difficult to differentiate on cytology alone. As... Show moreIndeterminate thyroid cytology (Bethesda III and IV) corresponds to follicular-patterned benign and malignant lesions, which are particularly difficult to differentiate on cytology alone. As similar to 25% of these nodules harbor malignancy, diagnostic hemithyroidectomy is still custom. However, advanced preoperative diagnostics are rapidly evolving.This review provides an overview of additional molecular and imaging diagnostics for indeterminate thyroid nodules in a preoperative clinical setting, including considerations regarding cost-effectiveness, availability, and feasibility of combining techniques. Addressed diagnostics include gene mutation analysis, microRNA, immunocytochemistry, ultrasonography, elastosonography, computed tomography, sestamibi scintigraphy, [F-18]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.The best rule-out tests for malignancy were the Afirma (R) gene expression classifier and FDG-PET. The most accurate rule-in test was sole BRAF mutation analysis. No diagnostic had both near-perfect sensitivity and specificity, and estimated cost-effectiveness. Molecular techniques are rapidly advancing. However, given the currently available techniques, a multimodality stepwise approach likely offers the most accurate diagnosis, sequentially applying one sensitive rule-out test and one specific rule-in test. Geographical variations in cytology (e.g., Hurthle cell neoplasms) and tumor genetics strongly influence local test performance and clinical utility. Multidisciplinary collaboration and implementation studies can aid the local decision for one or more eligible diagnostics. Show less
Suerink, M.; Klift, H.M. van der; Broeke, S.W. ten; Dekkers, O.M.; Bernstein, I.; Munar, G.C.; ... ; Nielsen, M. 2016
Parathyroid carcinoma is associated with mutations in the HRPT2/CDC73 gene and with decreased parafibromin and calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) expression, but in some cases establishing an... Show moreParathyroid carcinoma is associated with mutations in the HRPT2/CDC73 gene and with decreased parafibromin and calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) expression, but in some cases establishing an unequivocal diagnosis remains a challenge. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prognostic value of CASR and parafibromin expression and of HRPT2/CDC73 mutations in patients with an established diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma. Data on survival and disease-free survival were obtained from hospital records of 23 patients with an established diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma in whom CASR and parafibromin expression and HRPT2/CDC73 mutation analyses were available from paraffin-embedded pathological specimens. Kaplan-Meier curves were used for survival analysis. Downregulation of CASR expression, global loss of parafibromin staining and a HRPT2/CDC73 mutation were, respectively, found in 7 (30%), 13 (59%) and 4 (17%) patients, and were associated with, respectively, 16-fold, 4-fold and 7-fold increased risk of developing local or distant metastasis. These findings suggest that although downregulation of CASR expression, global loss of parafibromin staining and mutations in the HRPT2/CDC73 gene are tools of proven value to assist in establishing a diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma, their absence does not exclude it. Notwithstanding, we demonstrate a significant added value of these markers as strong determinants of increased malignant potential and thus as negative prognostic markers in this malignancy.Modern Pathology advance online publication, 14 January 2011; doi:10.1038/modpathol.2010.236. Show less
Background MUTYH-associated polyposis is a recessively inherited disorder characterized by a lifetime risk of colorectal cancer that is up to 100%. Because specific histological and molecular... Show moreBackground MUTYH-associated polyposis is a recessively inherited disorder characterized by a lifetime risk of colorectal cancer that is up to 100%. Because specific histological and molecular genetic features of MUTYH-associated polyposis colorectal cancers might influence tumor behavior and patient survival, we compared survival between patients with MUTYH-associated polyposis colorectal cancer and matched control patients with colorectal cancer from the general population. Methods In this retrospective multicenter cohort study from Europe, 147 patients with MUTYH-associated polyposis colorectal cancer were compared with 272 population-based control patients with colorectal cancer who were matched for country, age at diagnosis, year of diagnosis, stage, and subsite of colorectal cancer. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were used to compare survival between patients with MUTYH-associated polyposis colorectal cancer and control patients with colorectal cancer. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Five-year survival for patients with MUTYH-associated polyposis colorectal cancer was 78% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 70% to 84%) and for control patients was 63% (95% CI = 56% to 69%) (log-rank test, P = .002). After adjustment for differences in age, stage, sex, subsite, country, and year of diagnosis, survival remained better for MUTYH-associated polyposis colorectal cancer patients than for control patients (hazard ratio of death = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.72). Conclusions In a European study cohort, we found statistically significantly better survival for patients with MUTYH-associated polyposis colorectal cancer than for matched control patients with colorectal cancer. Show less
