20 Feb 2023 • A non-invasive diagnostic test has been developed by a team of doctors at the government-funded Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (IPGMER) that can determine if a thyroid tumor is malignant or benign. Moreover, it can indicate the cancer's subtype. The research was published in the European Journal of Endocrinology under the title "Detection of driver mutation in plasma cell free nucleic acids in differentiated thyroid carcinoma." The doctors used a type of liquid biopsy for their investigation, isolating cell-free DNA from blood plasma. The quantity or concentration of the cell-free DNA then indicated whether the tumor is malignant or benign. The test also determined if the cancer was aggressive or indolent. The current accepted methods for diagnosing thyroid tumors are thyroid function tests, USG, and USG-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). According to experts, these tests can produce unclear or undecidable results. In these circumstances, it is customary in western nations to undergo a genetic test, the cost of which averages about Rs 1.5 lakh per kit. For indeterminate tumors in particular, this test created by IPGMER experts can be utilized as a pre-operative diagnostic tool to help identify remaining tumor and potential recurrence.

Source: ET Health World | Read full story