Galectin-3 in Follicular Thyroid Neoplasms
Author Information
Author(s): Collet J F, Hurbain I, Prengel C, Utzmann O, Scetbon F, Bernaudin J F, Fajac A
Primary Institution: Laboratoire d'Histologie-Biologie Tumorale, hôpital Tenon, UPRES EA 3499, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
Hypothesis
Can galectin-3 help in the diagnosis of aspirates classified as undeterminate by cytology?
Conclusion
Galectin-3 is a useful marker in diagnosing thyroid lesions classified as undeterminate by conventional cytology.
Supporting Evidence
- 86% of lesions diagnosed as malignant were positive for galectin-3.
- 94% of benign lesions were negative for galectin-3.
- Sensitivity and specificity for undeterminate lesions were 75% and 90%, respectively.
- Positive predictive value for galectin-3 was 82% in undeterminate lesions.
Takeaway
This study looked at a protein called galectin-3 to see if it could help doctors tell if certain thyroid lumps are cancerous or not.
Methodology
Fine-needle aspiration samples were analyzed for galectin-3 immunodetection, focusing on benign, malignant, and undeterminate lesions.
Limitations
The study focused only on a subset of undeterminate lesions, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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