Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) is often used for preoperative differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules. Cytopathologic examination is not always conclusive. Molecular markers get into current practice in differential diagnosis of suspected cases. These techniques include immunocytochemical and molecular genetic markers. Galectin-3 and HMBE-1 are the most widely used immunocytochemical markers. BRAF mutation analysis is the most commonly used genetic marker. Although there are Ras and RET-PTC in these tumors, their diagnosis value is limited. Genetic markers provide guiding information about prognostic properties. Researches are being carried out to discover targeted therapies by taking advantage of these markers.
Keywords: Thyroid cancer, immunocytochemical markers, molecular markers