At the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association® (ATA), poster #478 showed how a leading healthcare system helped improve their management of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules by switching to ThyGeNEXT®+ThyraMIR®v2 combination testing. Their goal was to help address the high molecular insufficiency rates they experienced with a different molecular test and benefit from more flexible specimen requirements—two major challenges in thyroid nodule testing.1
Key Findings
By transitioning to ThyGeNEXT+ThyraMIRv2 combination testing, the healthcare system was able to analyze archival cytology slides—overcoming previous limitations and challenges in molecular testing.1 Notably, 86% (56/65) of cases previously deemed insufficient for molecular analysis by a previous molecular test yielded successful results using archival cytology slides.1 This approach helped address their high molecular insufficiency rate, which aided in avoiding repeat FNAs–decreasing patient discomfort and procedure-related costs.1
Among the 65 cases analyzed, strong driver mutations were identified in 9% of cases—including BRAF V600E and STRN-ALK fusion.1 These mutations are associated with thyroid carcinoma and can help provide insights for risk stratification and treatment planning. The ThyGeNEXT panel tests for well-documented worrisome mutations associated with thyroid carcinoma.2
Flexible Specimen Requirements
The findings from the poster also emphasized how flexible specimen requirements can help improve molecular test accessibility and workflow efficiency.1 This flexibility can potentially reduce healthcare costs, avoid delays in clinical management from repeat FNAs, and improve clinical workflows.1
ThyGeNEXT+ThyraMIRv2 combination testing simplifies the process for specimen handling:
- No special shipping or refrigeration of FNA specimens required
- No large shipping kits, freeing up considerable office storage space
- FNA specimens do not require blackout pouches and are stable for up to 6 weeks at room temperature*
- Diagnostic slides only require at least 80-100 follicular cells for testing
- A high-quality slide image is created and retained for future reference3
Flexibility in specimen requirements can not only help reduce healthcare costs and diagnostic delays but also may improve workflow efficiency and test accessibility–key factors in managing cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules.1
Patient management decisions are based on the independent medical judgment of the physician and molecular test results should be taken into consideration in conjunction with all relevant imaging, clinical findings, patient and family history, as well as patient preference.
*When specimens are placed within the provided collection buffer.
References: 1. Kaufman T, et al. Utilizing Archival Cytology Slides to Overcome Molecular Testing Insufficiency Rates in Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules: An Institutional Experience. Poster presented at: American Thyroid Association Annual Meeting; September 12, 2025; Scottsdale, Arizona. 2. Hsiao SJ and Nikiforov YE. Molecular Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Cancer. Ento Key. June 1, 2020. Accessed October 23, 2023. https://entokey.com/10- molecular-advances-in-the-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-thyroid-cancer. 3. Lupo MA, et al. Diagn Cytopathol. 2020;48(12):1254-1264.
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