Diagnostics (Apr 2022)

Personalized Diagnosis in Differentiated Thyroid Cancers by Molecular and Functional Imaging Biomarkers: Present and Future

  • Laura Teodoriu,
  • Letitia Leustean,
  • Maria-Christina Ungureanu,
  • Stefana Bilha,
  • Irena Grierosu,
  • Mioara Matei,
  • Cristina Preda,
  • Cipriana Stefanescu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12040944
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 4
p. 944

Abstract

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Personalized diagnosis can save unnecessary thyroid surgeries, in cases of indeterminate thyroid nodules, when clinicians tend to aggressively treat all these patients. Personalized diagnosis benefits from a combination of imagery and molecular biomarkers, as well as artificial intelligence algorithms, which are used more and more in our timeline. Functional imaging diagnosis such as SPECT, PET, or fused images (SPECT/CT, PET/CT, PET/MRI), is exploited at maximum in thyroid nodules, with a long history in the past and a bright future with many suitable radiotracers that could properly contribute to diagnosing malignancy in thyroid nodules. In this way, patients will be spared surgery complications, and apparently more expensive diagnostic workouts will financially compensate each patient and also the healthcare system. In this review we will summarize essential available diagnostic tools for malignant and benignant thyroid nodules, beginning with functional imaging, molecular analysis, and combinations of these two and other future strategies, including AI or NIS targeted gene therapy for thyroid carcinoma diagnosis and treatment as well.

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