Abstract
The authors aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of miRNA-27a (miR-27a), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha/gamma (PPAR alpha/gamma) and retinoid X receptor alpha(RXR alpha) tissue expression in patients with thyroid carcinoma. The expression levels were quantified in 174 archived thyroid specimens using real-time quantitative PCR. Downregulation of miR-27a was associated with lymph node stage and multifocality.PPAR alpha expression was associated with histopathological type, tumor size and lymph node invasion. Moreover,RXR alpha expression was lower in patients who underwent total/subtotal thyroidectomy or received radioactive iodine treatment. Patients with upregulated miR-27a and downregulated RXR alpha showed a higher frequency of advanced lymph node stage and relapse by cluster analysis. Both miR-27a and PPAR alpha/RXR alpha showed association with different poor prognostic indices in thyroid cancer patients.