Genetic Analysis in Diagnosing Thyroid Cancer in Patients With Thyroid Nodules

OBJECTIVES:

- Evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of biomarkers and mRNA expression analysis using
fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy samples from patients with thyroid nodules.

- Correlate the level of gene expression with the aggressiveness of differentiated
thyroid cancer in FNA biopsy samples.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy as part of routine care.
Additional thyroid tissue is collected during the biopsy for gene expression analysis.
Patients who have already had a biopsy undergo FNA biopsy during thyroidectomy.

Tissue samples will be examined for gene expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase
chain reaction (PCR), real-time quantitative PCR, and immunohistochemistry.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 400 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Diagnosis of a thyroid nodule that requires fine-needle aspiration biopsy or
thyroidectomy to exclude a diagnosis of thyroid cancer

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- Platelet count ≥ 70,000/mm^3

- PT (INR) ≤ 14.5

- PTT ≤ 35.2

- Not pregnant

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- No aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) 7 days before sample
procurement