An Alternative Approach in Endocrine Pathology Research: MALDI-IMS in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Solid cell nests of the thyroid gland: morphological, immunohistochemical and genetic features

“…There have been reports of the presence of the BRAF V600E mutation in a SCN occurring together with a PTC, but different viewpoints exist concerning this issue . In our series, the complete absence of BRAF mutations seems to be a sufficient finding supporting the benignity of the lesion, therefore confirming the diagnostic utility of this marker, which is becoming a widely applied diagnostic tool in uncertain cases . Moreover, the absence of BRAF mutations in the majority of cases should exclude the possible origin of PTC from SCN cells.…”

Molecular Signature of Indeterminate Thyroid Lesions: Current Methods to Improve Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) Diagnosis

“…Techniques such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-TOF-MS and MALDI-imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) have been applied in several studies [90,91,92,93,94,95] to cytological thyroid specimens. Most of these studies used ex vivo FNA [90,91,93,94,95] and one study [94] used pre-surgical FNAC obtaining an overall sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 94% in discriminating benign from suspicious samples, with a good reproducibility among studies. Proteomics could serve to improve the preoperative diagnosis of indeterminate lesions, but some aspects such as the limitation in the availability of these technologies and the lack of uniformity among techniques, need to be addressed before its introduction in clinical practice.…”

Proteome analysis in thyroid pathology

“…The validation via ELISA and WB confirmed the role of these proteins in discriminating PTC from controls and ANXA1 showed a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 94% in distinguishing cancer from normal cases. Recent studies showed how MALDI-MSI can be used to investigate ex vivo FNA specimens [69,70]. Mainini et al [69] performed a preliminary test on various types of lesions including cvPTC, fvPTC, hyperplastic nodules, and uncertain malignant potential tumors, attempting a classification of these conditions based on hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis of protein expression spectra.…”

“…Recent studies showed how MALDI-MSI can be used to investigate ex vivo FNA specimens [69,70]. Mainini et al [69] performed a preliminary test on various types of lesions including cvPTC, fvPTC, hyperplastic nodules, and uncertain malignant potential tumors, attempting a classification of these conditions based on hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis of protein expression spectra. Analog results were obtained by Pagni et al [70] in their feasibility study, applying MALDI imaging on a set of various lesions as hyperplastic nodules, Hurtle cell-type FTA, medullary thyroid carcinoma, and cvPTC, showing similar spectra of protein expression between entities with similar biological behavior.…”