Serum plasma expression of miR-200c-3p, miR-221-3p and miR-222-3p as non-invasive diagnostic tool in papillary thyroid carcinoma- a preliminary study.

Introduction. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common malignant thyroid cancer, however its detection rate remains unsatisfactory. One of the most widely studied diagnostic method in oncology is the use of microRNA (miR) molecules. Current literature indicates that miR-200c-3p, miR-221-3p and miR-222-3p seems to be a promising biomarkers of PTC. Aim. The aim of the study was to explore the usability of miR-200c-3p, miR-221-3p and miR-222-3p as diagnostic biomarkers for PTC. Materials and methods. The study group (N=20) included patients with post-operative histopathological confirmation of papillary thyroid carcinoma, the control group (N=10) consisted of patients who underwent thyroidectomy due to non-toxic nodular goiter (ntNG). A rtPCR was used to assess the expression of each biomarker in blood serum. Results. The significant increase in miR 200c-3p expression in blood serum was observed among PTC patients (FC=6.85) in comparison to controls (ntNG), while no significant differences were observed in the case of miR 221-3p and miR 222-3p expression between PTC and ntNG groups. ROC curve analysis revealed that miR 200c-3p could be employed as a potential diagnostic tool in PTC. Conclusions. MiR-200c-3p may have discriminative value in diagnosis of PTC.