Emerging Biomarkers in Thyroid Practice and Research

• Published in: Cancers 2021-12, Vol.14 (1), p.204
• Main Authors: Agarwal, Shipra, Bychkov, Andrey, Jung, Chan-Kwon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomarkers; Biopsy; DNA methylation; Epigenetics; Exosomes; Immunohistochemistry; Immunotherapy; Kinases; Malignancy; miRNA; Mutation; Non-coding RNA; Patients; PD-L1 protein; Review; Single-nucleotide polymorphism; Thyroid cancer; Thyroid carcinoma; Tumor microenvironment; Tumorigenesis; Tumors
• ISSN: 2072-6694; 2072-6694
• DOI: 10.3390/cancers14010204

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. Recent developments in molecular biological techniques have led to a better understanding of the pathogenesis and clinical behavior of thyroid neoplasms. This has culminated in the updating of thyroid tumor classification, including the re-categorization of existing and introduction of new entities. In this review, we discuss various molecular biomarkers possessing diagnostic, prognostic, predictive and therapeutic roles in thyroid cancer. A comprehensive account of epigenetic dysregulation, including DNA methylation, the function of various microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs, germline mutations determining familial occurrence of medullary and non-medullary thyroid carcinoma, and single nucleotide polymorphisms predisposed to thyroid tumorigenesis has been provided. In addition to novel immunohistochemical markers, including those for neuroendocrine differentiation, and next-generation immunohistochemistry (BRAF V600E, RAS, TRK, and ALK), the relevance of well-established markers, such as Ki-67, in current clinical practice has also been discussed. A tumor microenvironment (PD-L1, CD markers) and its influence in predicting responses to immunotherapy in thyroid cancer and the expanding arena of techniques, including liquid biopsy based on circulating nucleic acids and plasma-derived exosomes as a non-invasive technique for patient management, are also summarized.