Serum MMP-2 as a potential predictive marker for papillary thyroid carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) prevalence is increasing globally.
• Reliable serum biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis prediction of PTC are currently lacking.
• Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is implicated in tumor progression and metastasis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of preoperative serum MMP-2 for PTC.
• To assess the predictive value of preoperative serum MMP-2 for lymph node metastasis (LNM) and structurally persistent/recurrent disease (SPRD) in PTC patients.
• To identify MMP-2 as a potential prognostic biomarker for PTC.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study including male patients with PTC, benign thyroid nodules (BTN), and healthy controls (HCs).
• Serum MMP-2 levels were measured preoperatively and postoperatively.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine diagnostic and predictive performance.
• Multivariate logistic and Cox regression analyses identified independent risk factors for SPRD.

Main Results:

• Preoperative serum MMP-2 concentrations were significantly higher in PTC patients compared to BTN and HC groups.
• Serum MMP-2 demonstrated good performance in differentiating PTC from BTN (AUC=0.905) and predicting central LNM (AUC=0.711).
• Elevated serum MMP-2 levels were associated with increased risk of LNM and SPRD, and worse clinical outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Preoperative serum MMP-2 is a potential biomarker for diagnosing PTC in male patients.
• Serum MMP-2 can serve as a predictive indicator for LNM and SPRD in male PTC patients.
• MMP-2 warrants further investigation as a prognostic marker in thyroid cancer management.