2023-06-14 02:13:55
A. Background and problem definition
Over the past 10 years, the incidence of thyroid growths, also known as thyroid nodule, has increased dramatically. Because some of these nodules can be malignant and result in thyroid cancer, all thyroid nodules are assessed by ultrasound risk classification. However, current ultrasonography lacks specificity to exclude thyroid cancer, which often requires long-term follow-up and/or additional invasive diagnostics in the form of a biopsy or even surgery. These invasive procedures often turn out to be unnecessary, because pathological examination in the vast majority shows that it concerns a benign abnormality in the thyroid nodule. Thus, patients are unnecessarily exposed to procedure-related morbidity and complications, as well as overtreatment.
B. Research direction/proposed solution / C. Relevance
Optoacoustics (OA) is a new imaging technique that non-invasively visualizes biological processes at organ level. In THYNAS+ we investigate whether OA can detect qualitative and quantitative biomarkers that differentiate between thyroid cancer and benign thyroid nodules. In previous pilot studies, we have shown that OA can identify changes in blood flow and oxygen saturation that may indicate cancer. However, there are still some hurdles to overcome before clinical translation with OA is possible. With THYNAS+ we will address some of these challenges. If successful, this will lead to better faster exclusion and diagnosis of thyroid cancer, risk stratification of thyroid nodules and reduce the need for invasive diagnostics and long-term follow-up.
D. Research questions / E. Research design
The goals of THYNAS+ are to sequentially 1) improve the hardware and software aspects of OA for high-accuracy imaging of thyroid models, 2) develop machine-learning driven analysis that enables accurate imaging and quantification of biomarkers, and 3) a clinical conduct study to demonstrate the improvements in imaging and spectral information and demonstrate clinically relevant biomarkers to differentiate between thyroid cancer and benign nodules.
F. Expected outcomes / G. Description of steps required to implement result
If THYNAS+ is successful in obtaining high quality data demonstrating relevant biomarkers, a multicenter study will be initiated to assess the clinical impact. Clinical implementation of THYNAS+ will result in many patients being reassured that it is a benign nodule within one diagnostic contact. They will be spared a long follow-up with the fear of having cancer, as well as the risks of unnecessary invasive diagnostics such as surgery, where complications sometimes require patients to use hormones for life. The pressure on the healthcare system will decrease considerably, because additional or follow-up examinations will be required less often.
#Improved #Risk #Classification #Thyroid #Nodes #Optoacoustic #Ultrasound #Imaging #Machine #Learning