Discriminatory miRNAs for the Management of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and Noninvasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasms with Papillary-Like Nuclear Features

Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) variants have several overlapping clinical and pathological features. The World Health Organization recently published a new classification of thyroid tumors containing significant revisions. Encapsulated papillary thyroid carcinoma (EPTC) has been recognized as a distinctive variant of PTC. The noninvasive encapsulated follicular variant of PTC has been reclassified as noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasms with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP). Different neoplasms are associated with different outcomes and require different clinical management. The objective of this study was to explore the miRNA expression patterns specific for classic PTC (cPTC), EPTC, follicular variant of PTC, and NIFTP in order to identify biomarkers of diagnostic and prognostic utility aiming for better clinical decisions. Methods: The expression of 84 miRNAs was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in 113 thyroid tissues of PTC (classic, encapsulated...