Metabolomics as a potential method for predicting thyroid malignancy in children and adolescents
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Read the article on link.springer.com ↗Article · Feb 2020 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
This study demonstrates that metabolomics can distinguish malignant from benign thyroid nodules in pediatric patients by analyzing plasma metabolite profiles. Seventeen differential metabolites were identified, with lactate and glycine showing particular promise as serum biomarkers for papillary thyroid carcinoma diagnosis in children and adolescents.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Abstract
Purpose
To identify potential metabolic biomarkers for distinguishing malignant and benign thyroid nodules in children and adolescents using a metabolomics approach.
Methods
A total of 96 consecutive patients (median age 14.29 ± 2.31 years, range 9–18 years) who underwent thyroidectomy and 40 healthy controls were enrolled. Patients were assigned to the papillary thyroid carcinoma and benign thyroid adenoma groups according to postoperative pathologic biopsy. Plasma samples were preoperatively collected, and multivariate analysis was performed to identify differential metabolites.
Results
Papillary thyroid carcinoma could be distinguished not only from healthy serum but also from benign thyroid adenoma according to the metabolic profiles. A total of 17 metabolites were identified. Compared with those from benign thyroid adenoma patients and healthy controls, the metabolites from papillary thyroid carcinoma patients, including leucine, lactate, alanine, glycine, acetate, lysine and choline, were increased, while glucose was decreased.
Conclusion
The metabolomics method based on proton nuclear magnetic resonance has great potential for identifying papillary thyroid carcinoma in children and adolescents. Lactate and glycine may be used as potential serum markers for the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma.