biostudies-literatureCapitoli GRegione LombardiaItalian Association for Cancer ResearchRicerca FinalizzataFondazione Gigi &amp; Pupa Ferrari4156https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9028391biostudies-literatureUnknown23(8)Fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNA) represent the gold standard to exclude the malignant nature of thyroid nodules. After cytomorphology, 20-30% of cases are deemed "indeterminate for malignancy" and undergo surgery. However, after thyroidectomy, 70-80% of these nodules are benign. The identification of tools for improving FNA's diagnostic performances is explored by matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI). A clinical study was conducted in order to build a classification model for the characterization of thyroid nodules on a large cohort of 240 samples, showing that MALDI-MSI can be effective in separating areas with benign/malignant cells. The model had optimal performances in the internal validation set (<i>n</i> = 70), with 100.0% (95% CI = 83.2-100.0%) sensitivity and 96.0% (95% CI = 86.3-99.5%) specificity. The external validation (<i>n</i> = 170) showed a specificity of 82.9% (95% CI = 74.3-89.5%) and a sensitivity of 43.1% (95% CI = 30.9-56.0%). The performance of the model was hampered in the presence of poor and/or noisy spectra. Consequently, restricting the evaluation to the subset of FNAs with adequate cellularity, sensitivity improved up to 76.5% (95% CI = 58.8-89.3). Results also suggest the putative role of MALDI-MSI in routine clinical triage, with a three levels diagnostic classification that accounts for an indeterminate gray zone of nodules requiring a strict follow-up.International journal of molecular sciencesCytomolecular Classification of Thyroid Nodules Using Fine-Needle Washes Aspiration Biopsies.PMC9028391Fondazione Gigi &amp; Pupa Ferrari 2021Programma degli interventi per la ripresa economica: sviluppo di nuovi accordi di collaborazione con le università per la ricerca, l'innovazione e il trasferimento tecnologico: NephropaThyCall HUB Ricerca ed Innovazione: ImmunHUBMFAG grant 2016- Id. 18445POR FESR 2014-2020GR-2019-12368592Magni FPagni FClerici FGalimberti SGarancini MPiga ILeni DCasati GL'Imperio VCapitoli GfalseCytomolecular Classification of Thyroid Nodules Using Fine-Needle Washes Aspiration Biopsies.Fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNA) represent the gold standard to exclude the malignant nature of thyroid nodules. After cytomorphology, 20-30% of cases are deemed "indeterminate for malignancy" and undergo surgery. However, after thyroidectomy, 70-80% of these nodules are benign. The identification of tools for improving FNA's diagnostic performances is explored by matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI). A clinical study was conducted in order to build a classification model for the characterization of thyroid nodules on a large cohort of 240 samples, showing that MALDI-MSI can be effective in separating areas with benign/malignant cells. The model had optimal performances in the internal validation set (<i>n</i> = 70), with 100.0% (95% CI = 83.2-100.0%) sensitivity and 96.0% (95% CI = 86.3-99.5%) specificity. The external validation (<i>n</i> = 170) showed a specificity of 82.9% (95% CI = 74.3-89.5%) and a sensitivity of 43.1% (95% CI = 30.9-56.0%). The performance of the model was hampered in the presence of poor and/or noisy spectra. Consequently, restricting the evaluation to the subset of FNAs with adequate cellularity, sensitivity improved up to 76.5% (95% CI = 58.8-89.3). Results also suggest the putative role of MALDI-MSI in routine clinical triage, with a three levels diagnostic classification that accounts for an indeterminate gray zone of nodules requiring a strict follow-up.2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Apr2025-04-06T19:49:35.229Z2025-04-06T19:49:35.229ZS-EPMC90283913545697310.3390/ijms23084156