Addressing diagnostic gaps in thyroid pathology: a multiplex protein panel as an adjunctive tool for risk stratification and differentiation of thyroid neoplasms

Abstract This study aims to identify a panel of human plasma protein biomarkers to improve the diagnosis and risk stratification of thyroid neoplasms. The diagnosis of thyroid neoplasms is challenging due to limitations of existing methods, necessitating auxiliary tools for differentiating between benign and malignant cases. In this research, 386 plasma samples from patients with various types of thyroid neoplasms were analyzed using HPLC-MS. Nineteen proteins with differential expression were identified. Significant differences were observed for 14 proteins when comparing benign neoplasms with malignant or indeterminate ones. The developed multiplex protein panel comprises non-thyroid-specific markers but possesses prognostic value. The combination of several markers, exhibiting both elevated and reduced protein levels, can significantly enhance diagnostic accuracy, particularly for thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology. This approach holds the potential to reduce the number of surgical interventions and biopsies. Consequently, new prospects for non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of thyroid diseases are unveiled. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.