Employing genetic markers to improve diagnosis of thyroid tumor fine needle biopsy

Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA) is the most widely used and cost-effective preoperative test for the initial evaluation of a thyroid nodule, although it has limited diagnostic accuracy for several types of tumors. Patients will often receive cytological report of indeterminate cytology and are referred to surgery for a more accurate diagnosis. An improved test would help physicians rapidly focus treatment on true malignancies and avoid some unnecessary treatment of benign tumors. This review will discuss current molecular markers that may improve thyroid nodule diagnosis.