Serum expression of miR-200c-3p, miR-221-3p, and miR-222-3p as a diagnostic tool in papillary thyroid carcinoma – a preliminary study

<b>Introduction:</b> Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common malignant thyroid cancer. However, its detection rateremains unsatisfactory. One of the most widely studied diagnostic methods in oncology is the use of microRNA (miR) molecules.Current literature indicates that miR-200c-3p, miR-221-3p, and miR-222-3p seem to be promising biomarkers of PTC.<b>Aim:</b> The aim of the study was to explore the usability of these circulating miRs as diagnostic biomarkers for PTC.<b>Materials and methods:</b> The study group (N = 20) included patients with post-operative histopathological confirmation of papillary thyroid carcinoma, while the control group (N = 10) consisted of patients who underwent thyroidectomy due to non-toxic nodular goiter (ntNG). A Real-Time PCR was used to assess the expression of each biomarker in blood serum.<b>Results:</b> The significant increase in miR-200c-3p expression in blood serum was observed among PTC patients (FC = 6.85)in comparison to controls (ntNG), while no significant differences were observed in the case of miR-221-3p and MiR-222-3pexpression between PTC and ntNG groups. The ROC curve analysis revealed that miR-200c-3p could be employed asa potential diagnostic tool in PTC.<b>Conclusions:</b> miR-200c-3p may have discriminative value in the diagnostics of PTC.