Preliminary results suggest the potential of evaluating combined bFGF and TNF-β concentrations for differentiating papillary thyroid cancer from benign nodular goiter

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer, accounting for approximately 80% of cases. Considering the lack of available blood diagnostic tests for detecting thyroid cancer, as well as the issue of overdiagnosis and overtreatment, our study aimed to investigate whether the concentrations of 48 selected proteins, including chemokines, interleukins, cytokines, and growth factors, could serve as indicators to distinguish patients with PTC from individuals with nodular goiter. The study group included 32 PTC patients and 26 nodular goiter patients as a comparative group. Serum protein concentrations were evaluated in venous blood collected in tubes without anticoagulant, using the multiplexed immunoassay method. The concentrations of basic FGF (bFGF), IL-9, IL-18, TNF-α, and TNF-β were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in patients with PTC compared to those with nodular goiter. The highest area under the ROC curve (AUC), equal to 0.720 ± 0.066, along with a diagnostic specificity of 92% and a positive predictive value of 89% for differentiating PTC patients from nodular goiter patients, was found for TNF-β. The combined evaluation of TNF-β and bFGF concentrations proved most useful in differentiating papillary thyroid cancer from benign nodular goiter, revealing a diagnostic specificity of 96%. Further studies should be conducted with an appropriate sample size and across other histopathological types of thyroid cancer to confirm that the combined evaluation of bFGF and TNF-β concentrations is useful in differentiating PTC patients from individuals with benign nodular goiter.