Novel biomarker SYT12 may contribute to predicting papillary thyroid cancer outcomes

Abstract

Aim: To investigate biomarkers for predicting papillary thyroid cancer outcomes. Materials & methods: The expression of biomarkers (ITGA2, SYT12 and CDH3) was studied in a prospective cohort of patients with papillary thyroid cancer. Three outcomes of initial metastases, baseline status and longitudinal status were analyzed and correlated with the biomarkers. Results: SYT12 provided the best prediction of initial metastasis (sensitivity: 72%; specificity: 54%). SYT12 had the highest accuracy for predicting longitudinal status (sensitivity: 100%; specificity: 47%). The best performance for longitudinal status resulted from combining SYT12 with American Thyroid Association risk stratification, with sensitivity and specificity of 88 and 73%, respectively. Conclusion: SYT12 has some prognostic significance in papillary thyroid cancer. Further validation studies in larger populations are warranted.