Diagnostics of Thyroid Diseases: Advances and Perspectives

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 11112

Special Issue Editors


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1. Clinic for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Imaging Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
2. Clinic for Nuclear Medicine and Intedisciplinary Thyroid Centre, University Hospital of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
Interests: nuclear medicine; molecular imaging; theranostics; thyroid diseases; endocrine tumors; radiomics; predictive imaging; molecular biomarkers; integrated diagnostics
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Synlab Pathology, Lausanne, Switzerland
Interests: thyroid cancer; thyroid cythology; molecular pathology; thyroid carcinogenesis
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Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Center Sestre Milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: thyroid diseases; nuclear medicine; molecular imaging; theranostics; endocrine tumors
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thyroid diseases are frequently encountered in daily clinical practice, and their diagnosis and assessment rely on laboratory medicine, imaging and pathology disciplines. However, the substantial progress in our understanding of molecular interplays that characterize thyroid diseases are now generating important multidisciplinary convergences, leading the way to a new frontier referred to as integrated diagnostics. Specific strategies are needed, such as planning the major integration of existing information systems or developing innovative ones, combining bioinformatics and imaging informatics and providing interpretative comments in integrated reports, and developing and using expert systems and neural networks for generating multidisciplinary teams and integrated diagnostic algorithms. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide updated information and address future perspectives on the role of laboratory medicine, structural and molecular imaging, and cytopathology/pathology in characterizing thyroid diseases.

Prof. Dr. Luca Giovanella
Dr. Massimo Bongiovanni
Dr. Petra Petranović Ovčariček
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • thyroid diseases
  • ultrasound and cross-sectional radiology
  • nuclear medicine and molecular imaging
  • pathology and molecular pathology
  • circulating tumor markers
  • liquid biopsy
  • radiomics and predictive imaging

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1888 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Outcome of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Patients—Fifty Years of Croatian Thyroid Disease Referral Centre Experience
by Tomislav Jukić, Ivan Blažeković, Maja Franceschi, Petra Petranović Ovčariček, Marija Bosak Butković, Nina Dabelić, Roko Granić, Marija Punda, Zdenko Sonicki, Davor Vagić, Ana Fröbe and Zvonko Kusić
Diagnostics 2022, 12(4), 866; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12040866 - 30 Mar 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2622
Abstract
Background: Indolent nature but a high incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) remains a challenge for optimizing patient care. Therefore, prognostic factors present valuable information for determining an adequate clinical approach. Methods: This study assessed prognostic features of 1167 papillary (PTC) and 215 [...] Read more.
Background: Indolent nature but a high incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) remains a challenge for optimizing patient care. Therefore, prognostic factors present valuable information for determining an adequate clinical approach. Methods: This study assessed prognostic features of 1167 papillary (PTC) and 215 follicular (FTC) thyroid cancer patients that had undergone surgery between 1962 and 2012, and were followed-up up to 50 years in a single institution, till April 2020. Age, gender, tumor size, presence of local and distant metastases at presentation, extrathyroidal extension, disease recurrence, and cancer-specific survival were evaluated. Results: In multivariate analysis, factors affecting the worse outcome were age (p = 0.005), tumor size (p = 0.006), and distant metastases (p = 0.001) in PTC, while extrathyroidal extension (p < 0.001), neck recurrence (p = 0.002), and distant metastases (p < 0.001) in FTC patients. Loco-regional recurrence rate was 6% for PTC and 4.7% for FTC patients, while distant metastases were detected in 4.2% PTC and 14.4% of FTC patients. The 10-year cancer-specific survival rates for PTC and FTC were 98.6% and 89.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Negative prognostic factors, besides distant metastases, were older age and greater tumor size in PTC, and extrathyroidal extension and neck recurrence in FTC patients. The recurrence and mortality rates were very low. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics of Thyroid Diseases: Advances and Perspectives)
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12 pages, 1130 KiB  
Article
Prognostic Role of 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT Metabolic Volume Parameters in Patients Affected by Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma with High Thyroglobulin Level, Negative 131I WBS and Positive 2-[18F]-FDG PET/CT
by Domenico Albano, Francesco Dondi, Angelica Mazzoletti, Pietro Bellini, Carlo Rodella and Francesco Bertagna
Diagnostics 2021, 11(12), 2189; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11122189 - 25 Nov 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2015
Abstract
The clinical and prognostic role of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (2-[18F]FDG PET/CT) in the study of patients affected by differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) with positive serum thyroglobulin (Tg) level and negative [131I] whole-body scan ([131 [...] Read more.
The clinical and prognostic role of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (2-[18F]FDG PET/CT) in the study of patients affected by differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) with positive serum thyroglobulin (Tg) level and negative [131I] whole-body scan ([131I]WBS) has already been demonstrated. However, the potential prognostic role of semi-quantitative PET metabolic volume features, such as metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG), has not yet been clearly investigated. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate whether the main metabolic PET/CT parameters may predict the prognosis. We retrospectively included 122 patients with a positive 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT for DTC disease after a negative [131I]WBS with Tg > 10 ng/mL. The maximum and mean standardized uptake value (SUVmax and SUVmean), MTV and TLG of the hypermetabolic lesion, total MTV (tMTV) and total TLG (tTLG) were measured for each scan. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) curves were plotted according to the Kaplan–Meier analysis. After a median follow up of 53 months, relapse/progression of disease occurred in 87 patients and death in 42. The median PFS and OS were 19 months (range 1–132 months) and 46 months (range 1–145 months). tMTV and tTLG were the only independent prognostic factors for OS. No variables were significantly correlated with PFS. The best thresholds derived in our sample were 6.6 cm3 for MTV and 119.4 for TLG. In patients with negative WBS and Tg > 10 ng/mL, 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT metabolic volume parameters (tMTV and tTLG) may help to predict OS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics of Thyroid Diseases: Advances and Perspectives)
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13 pages, 687 KiB  
Article
Platelet Activation and Inflammation in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer
by Sorina Martin, Theodor Mustata, Oana Enache, Oana Ion, Andreea Chifulescu, Anca Sirbu, Carmen Barbu, Adrian Miron, Cosmin Giulea, Florin Andrei and Simona Fica
Diagnostics 2021, 11(11), 1959; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11111959 - 22 Oct 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2586
Abstract
Background: The primary endpoint was to analyze the preoperatory inflammatory markers and platelet indices in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients compared with patients with benign thyroid pathology. The secondary endpoints were to analyze the relationship between these markers and the pathological features of [...] Read more.
Background: The primary endpoint was to analyze the preoperatory inflammatory markers and platelet indices in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients compared with patients with benign thyroid pathology. The secondary endpoints were to analyze the relationship between these markers and the pathological features of PTC and to compare their pre- and postoperative levels in PTC patients. Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, we analyzed the files of 1183 patients submitted to thyroidectomy between January 2012 and December 2018. A total of 234 patients with PTC (mean age 51.54 ± 13.10 years, 84.6% females) were compared with an age-, gender- and BMI-matched control group of 108 patients with histologic benign thyroid disorders. Results: PTC patients had higher platelet count (PLT) (p = 0.011), plateletcrit (PCT) (p = 0.006), neutrophil (p = 0.022) and fibrinogen (p = 0.005) levels. Subgroup analysis showed that PTC females had higher PLT (p = 0.006), PCT (p < 0.001) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (p = 0.005), while males had higher neutrophil (p = 0.040) levels. Papillary thyroid cancer patients under 55 years had higher PLT (p < 0.001) and PCT (p = 0.010), while patients over 55 years had higher mean platelet volume (p = 0.032), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (p = 0.013), ESR (p = 0.005) and fibrinogen (p = 0.019) levels. Preoperative values for platelet indices and inflammatory markers were similar to the postoperative determinations in PTC patients. Fibrinogen (AUROC = 0.602, p = 0.02; cut-off = 327.5 mg/dL, Se = 53.8%, Sp = 62.9%) and PLT (AUROC = 0.584, p = 0.012; cut-off = 223.5 × 103/mm3, Se = 73.1%, Sp = 42.6%) were independent predictors of the presence of PTC. Conclusions: Our data show that fibrinogen and platelet count could be promising, inexpensive, independent predictors for the presence of PTC when compared with benign thyroid disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics of Thyroid Diseases: Advances and Perspectives)
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13 pages, 740 KiB  
Systematic Review
Radiomics Analysis of [18F]FDG PET/CT Thyroid Incidentalomas: How Can It Improve Patients’ Clinical Management? A Systematic Review from the Literature
by Mirela Gherghe, Alexandra Maria Lazar, Mario-Demian Mutuleanu, Adina Elena Stanciu and Sorina Martin
Diagnostics 2022, 12(2), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12020471 - 12 Feb 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2716
Abstract
Background: We performed a systematic review of the literature to provide an overview of the application of PET-based radiomics of [18F]FDG-avid thyroid incidentalomas and to discuss the additional value of PET volumetric parameters and radiomic features over clinical data. Methods: The [...] Read more.
Background: We performed a systematic review of the literature to provide an overview of the application of PET-based radiomics of [18F]FDG-avid thyroid incidentalomas and to discuss the additional value of PET volumetric parameters and radiomic features over clinical data. Methods: The most relevant databases were explored using an algorithm constructed based on a combination of terms related to our subject and English-language articles published until October 2021 were considered. Among the 247 identified articles, 19 studies were screened for eligibility and 11 met the criteria, with 4 studies including radiomics analyses. Results: We summarized the available literature based on a study of PET volumetric parameters and radiomics. Ten articles provided accurate details about volumetric parameters and their prospective value in tumour assessment. We included the data provided by these articles in a sub-analysis, but could not obtain statistically relevant results. Four publications analyzed the diagnostic potential of radiomics and the possibility of creating precise predictive models, their corresponding quality score being assessed. Conclusions: The use of PET volumetric parameters and radiomics analysis in patients with [18F]FDG-avid thyroid incidentalomas outlines a great prospect in diagnosis and stratification of patients with malignant nodules and may represent a way of limiting the need for unnecessary invasive procedures; however, further studies need to be performed for a standardization of the method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics of Thyroid Diseases: Advances and Perspectives)
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