Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Genetic architecture of thyroid cancer and its clinical utility

Award Number: R21CA282380
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/30/2026

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Genetic architecture of thyroid cancer and its clinical utility - PROJECT SUMMARY Thyroid cancer incidence is high, with 44,280 new cases diagnosed in the US in 2021. Thyroid nodule incidence is rising primarily due to increased detection, necessitating more procedures such as fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies to rule out cancer. However, most thyroid nodule biopsies produce benign, indeterminate, or non-diagnostic results and are potentially avoidable. Our long-term goal is to improve risk stratification of thyroid nodules, reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies, and minimize the burden of thyroid cancer diagnosis for patients and the healthcare system. Our central hypothesis is that thyroid cancer genetic risk estimate will improve risk stratification of thyroid nodules and reduce the number of avoidable FNA biopsies of benign thyroid nodules. Supported by robust preliminary data, the central hypothesis will be tested by pursuing two specific aims: Aim 1. Define the genetic architecture of thyroid cancer. Aim 2. Develop and assess the clinical utility of a genetic thyroid nodule classifier that discriminates between benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Under the first aim, we will explore genetic associations with thyroid malignancy independent of benign goiter to discover novel thyroid cancer biomarkers and develop a clinically useful polygenic risk score (PRS). We will use two approaches: 1) test genetic associations directly using a GWAS meta-analysis with 4,994 thyroid cancer cases and 20,917 patients with benign nodules as controls, and 2) use a computational GWAS-by-subtraction method to derive summary statistics for the thyroid cancer free from genetic associations with benign nodular goiter. We will use publicly available genome-wide association studies, such as from the Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative, and perform our meta-analyses using the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine Biobank and other Biobanks from around the world. We hypothesize that a thyroid nodule classifier PRS in combination with standard of care Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI- RADS) ultrasound schema will improve risk stratification of thyroid nodules and ultimately reduce the number of unnecessary thyroid nodule biopsies. We developed a thyroid nodule classifier PRS that differentiates malignant and benign thyroid nodules with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.61. We will apply this score to ~600 thyroid nodules from genotyped patients with known cytologic or histopathologic diagnoses of benign goiter or thyroid cancer. Three expert physicians will estimate TI-RADS points and categories. We will evaluate the efficacy of the TI-RADS algorithm alone and in combination with our novel PRS to distinguish benign from malignant thyroid nodules. We will use the precisely defined genetic landscape of thyroid malignancy (Aim 1) to improve the thyroid nodule classifier PRS. This study will pave the way for personalized management of thyroid nodules and inform future mechanistic studies aimed at better understanding the risk of thyroid cancer.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO	13001 E 17TH PL STE F428	AURORA	CO	80045	ADAMS	USA	Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research	000	2	1/30/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $182,325 )
2025	2025	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIV. OF COLORADO	13001 E 17TH PL STE F428	AURORA	CO	80045	ADAMS	USA	Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research	000	2	6/12/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$182,325
														Subtotal = $182,325

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $218,790 )
2024	2024	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO	13001 E 17TH PL STE F428	AURORA	CO	80045	ADAMS	USA	Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research	000	1	3/25/2024	NEW	$218,790
														Subtotal = $218,790

Grand Total All Awards = $401,115

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Genetic architecture of thyroid cancer and its clinical utility

Award Number: R21CA282380

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/30/2026

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer