Authors' recommendations: Thyroid nodules are discrete masses present in the thyroid gland that are a common clinical finding among adults in the general population. Approximately 5% of women and 1% of men have a palpable thyroid nodule on physical examination, while up to 67% of adults may have thyroid nodules detected with a high-resolution ultrasound. The evaluation of thyroid nodules, which may represent benign lesions or malignant thyroid tumors, typically includes a cytopathological examination of a biopsy specimen obtained by fine-needle aspiration (FNA). Thyroid nodules are subsequently classified based on cytology, with 70% to 75% of nodules being benign and approximately 5% being malignant. Approximately 20% to 25% of thyroid nodules are classified as indeterminate and represent a significant diagnostic challenge for physicians. The follow-up evaluation of patients with indeterminate results on FNA often includes surgical resection of the nodule or the entire thyroid gland. However, the surgery is unnecessary in most of these patients, as up to 80% of indeterminate nodules will prove to be benign after evaluation of the surgical thyroid tissue specimen. To help resolve the diagnostic ambiguity of indeterminate thyroid nodules, recent studies have sought to identify genetic or genomic markers that may aid in differentiating benign and malignant thyroid tumors. The Afirma® Thyroid FNA Analysis (Veracyte Inc.) is a recently developed test that examines the expression of genes known to be involved in cell growth, in order to identify indeterminate thyroid nodules with expression patterns characteristic of benign thyroid lesions. In the analysis, a proprietary gene expression classifier (GEC) is used to categorize nodules as either "benign" or "suspicious." According to Veracyte Inc., the primary goal of this assay is to identify patients who likely have benign thyroid masses so that they may avoid unnecessary thyroid surgery.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2012

URL for published report: The report may be purchased from:http://www.hayesinc.com/hayes/crd/?crd=14250

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: United States

Organisation Name: HAYES, Inc.

Contact Address: 157 S. Broad Street, Suite 200, Lansdale, PA 19446, USA. Tel: 215 855 0615; Fax: 215 855 5218

Contact Name: saleinfo@hayesinc.com

Contact Email: saleinfo@hayesinc.com

Copyright: 2012 Winifred S. Hayes, Inc