PSAT376 Utility of lncRNAs in thyroid cancer diagnosis

Abstract

Objectives Improved molecular testing for common somatic mutations and identification of mRNA and microRNA expression classifiers have emerged as the most promising approaches for diagnosis of thyroid nodules. However, it is necessary to effectively increase diagnostic accuracy further. Currently, lncRNA research has moved to the forefront of human cancer research, as recent findings have revealed a crucial role of lncRNAs in gene modulation. We evaluated the diagnostic value of the selected lncRNAs from The Atlas of Noncoding RNAs in Cancer (TANRIC) thyroid cancer dataset. Methods Using TANRIC thyroid cancer dataset, we compared 12,727 lncRNAs from the thyroid cancer tissues of 59 thyroid cancer patients with paired normal thyroid tissues. lncRNAs with significantly increased or decreased expression in thyroid cancer tissues were selected as candidates for thyroid cancer diagnosis. The expression levels of candidate lncRNAs were confirmed in patients with thyroid nodules who underwent surgery at the Severance Hospital. Subsequently, the candidate lncRNAs were applied to actual fine needle aspiration to verify their diagnostic value. Results LRRC52-AS1, LINC02471, LINC02082, UNC5B-AS1, LINC02408, MPPED2-AS1, LNCNEF, LOC642484, ATP6V0E2-AS1, and LOC100129129 were selected as candidates for thyroid cancer diagnosis. The expression levels of LRRC52-AS1, LINC02082, UNC5B-AS1, MPPED2-AS1, LNCNEF, and LOC100129129 were significantly increased or decreased in malignant nodules compared to their expression levels in benign nodules or paired normal thyroid tissues in our surgical tissue samples. The combination of LRRC52-AS1, LINC02082, and UNC5B-AS1 showed favorable results, with 89% sensitivity and 100% specificity, for thyroid cancer diagnosis using fine needle aspiration. Conclusions lncRNA expression analysis could be a promising approach for advancing molecular diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Further studies are needed to discover lncRNAs of additional diagnostic value. Presentation: Saturday, June 11, 2022 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.