[Benefits of Molecular Analyses in Thyroid Carcinoma]

Benefits of Molecular Analyses in Thyroid Carcinoma Abstract. The widespread access to neck ultrasonography has led to high detection rates of thyroid nodules, whose vast majority will remain clinically silent. In daily practice it is a challenge to filter out the thyroid nodules that require medical attention. This is usually achieved by a combination of sonomorphologic criteria and fine-needle aspiration cytology. In recent years, there is a trend toward deescalation in diagnostic and therapeutic measures for thyroid nodules. Some authors even advocate active surveillance instead of surgical approaches for very low-risk thyroid carcinoma. This approach requires an accurate assessment of the malignant potential of each thyroid nodule. As recent studies have allowed better understanding of molecular pathogenesis of thyroid cancer, the mutational profile of thyroid nodules has emerged as a new tool for assessment of thyroid nodules. Its exact clinical application in daily routine remains, however, unclear.