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Morphological and Molecular Assessment in Thyroid Cytology Using Cell-Capturing Scaffolds
Stefania Scarpino1, Silvia Taccogna2, Giuseppina Pepe1
1Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Pathology Unit, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Albano Laziale (RM), Italy.
Hormone and Metabolic Research = Hormon- Und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones Et Metabolisme
|May 12, 2020
Summary
CytoMatrix, a new collection method, improves thyroid nodule diagnosis by preserving cell integrity for molecular and immunohistochemical analysis. This enhances the reliability of fine needle aspiration cytology, reducing the need for surgery.
Area of Science:
- Pathology
- Oncology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Thyroid nodule diagnosis relies on fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology.
- Indeterminate FNA results occur in 20% of cases, often necessitating surgery.
- Current molecular and immunocytochemical tests require sufficient cell material and paraffin embedding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic utility of a novel polymeric matrix, CytoMatrix, for thyroid fine needle aspiration samples.
- To assess CytoMatrix's suitability for morphological, molecular, and immunohistochemical analyses.
- To compare CytoMatrix-based results with definitive surgical histology.
Main Methods:
- Collected 23 FNA thyroid nodule samples in CytoMatrix.
- Performed morphological, molecular (BRAF V600E mutation), and immunohistochemical analyses on CytoMatrix samples.
- Compared results with paired surgical specimen histology.
Main Results:
- CytoMatrix effectively captured and preserved cellularity, yielding paraffin sections mimicking histological tissue.
- Immunohistochemistry on CytoMatrix samples showed consistency with surgical specimens.
- BRAF (V600E) mutational analysis showed high concordance with surgical tissue; matrix immunohistochemistry identified 91.6% of BRAF-mutated samples.
Conclusions:
- CytoMatrix is a reliable tool for thyroid cytology, overcoming limitations of traditional methods.
- This matrix enhances the reliability of diagnostic interpretation for thyroid nodules.
- CytoMatrix shows promise for improving the accuracy of cytological evaluation and reducing unnecessary surgeries.
