Trial Information

Molecular Markers in the Diagnostic and Prognostic Evaluation of Thyroid Cancer

The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of molecular markers in
patients with benign and malignant thyroid lesions. This study consists of two parts:

Part One: Retrospective review of archived surgical pathology specimens at OHSU from
patients with thyroid cancer or benign thyroid disease (nodules or goiter) who underwent
thyroidectomy and/or neck dissection as standard of care. Molecular markers will be
evaluated on archived tissue.

Part Two: Prospective evaluation of thyroid cytologic specimens obtained at the time of the
fine needle aspiration biopsy which is done as standard of care in the evaluation of thyroid
nodules and goiters and peripheral blood samples at the time of biopsy or surgery in OHSU
patients. Molecular markers will be evaluated on preoperative cytologic material and
peripheral blood samples and compared with postoperative evaluation of molecular markers on
surgical specimens from the OHSU Cancer Institute Tissue Bank.

In both parts, molecular markers will be correlated with clinical information extracted from
OHSU medical records: histologic subtype of cancer, measures of tumor aggressiveness
(capsular and angiolymphatic invasion, local invasion, lymph node and distant metastases,
TNM stage) and clinical outcome (recurrence, distant metastases and death).

Patients with other malignancies presenting for standard of care services will have
peripheral blood collected for DNA, RNA and buffy coat/white blood cells as a "positive"
control for the DNA/RNA isolation techniques and mutation assays, as other cancers commonly
express some of the same mutations. Normals will have peripheral blood collected for DNA,
RNA and buffy coat/white blood cells as a "negative" control for the DNA/RNA isolation
techniques and mutation assays.