MOLECULAR MARKERS PREDICTIVE OF LYMPH NODE INVOLVEMENT IN PAPILLARY THYROID CARCINOMAS

Thyroid cancer is the neoplasm with the fastest growing incidence every year, with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) being the most common subtype. In many cases, these tumors can become aggressive, causing lymph node metastases. The determination of molecular markers by gene expression analysis is an important tool to determine the prognosis of these tumors. Considering the role of genes NEDD9, B3GNT7, PHB, BAD, PAXIP1, PPM1D, and PIK3R5 in the etiology of several cancers, this study consisted in verifying, by the RT-qPCR technique, whether they can be molecular markers predictive of lymph node involvement, and if they are related to the development of these tumors. In the present study, no significant differential expression of the genes analyzed were observed between the sample groups of PTC versus PTMC (microcarcinoma) and between the groups of lymph node-positive PTC versus lymph node-negative PTC, indicating that these genes are not related to tumor development and cannot be considered predictive markers of lymph node metastasis in PTC.