Molecular Biomarkers of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is the rarest but extremely aggressive thyroid cancer subtype. This neoplasia is composed of undifferentiated tumor cells with poor prognosis and resistant to common thyroid cancer therapy. Early stage identification of this cancer for prompt treatment is very vital. Presently, cytological evaluation of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) which is known as invasive recognition assay, is the standard diagnostic method for the diagnosis of malignant thyroid tumors. Frequent studies have suggested that using the molecular biomarkers of thyroid cancer tissue alongside cytological examination, increase the accuracy of diagnostic tests. Also, these agents could be beneficial for effective target therapy and personalize medicine. In this review, the molecular biomarkers that are involved in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma in four category (gene mutation profile, epigenetic profile, microRNA profile and cancer stem cell markers) were summarized.