Liquid biopsy as a possible alternative to fine needle puncture in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer in self -identified Ecuadorian women as mestizo.

In 2020, there was an incidence of 9.2 cases of thyroid cancer in Ecuador, becoming the third most common cancer in women, after breast cancer and cervix. In addition, it has been identified that women are more likely to develop thyroid cancer compared to men. Thyroid cancer is characterized by the presence of nodules, and its diagnosis is made by means of a fine needle aspirative puncture, in which a sample of the nodule cells is taken and analyzed to assess whether they are carcinogenic or benign. However, puncture has limitations, such as the possibility of obtaining indeterminate results in up to 42% of cases. For this reason, the development of new diagnostic methods for thyroid cancer detection is necessary. The early detection of thyroid cancer is crucial for effective prevention and treatment. Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive technique that allows to detect tumor cells and circulating DNA in body fluid samples. Therefore, the fundamental objective of this research project is based on evaluating the effectiveness of liquid biopsy as an alternative diagnostic method of thyroid cancer compared to other methods. For this, the new generation mass sequencing technique will be used to identify genetic variants present in the tumor tissue and circulating DNA. The results will improve the classification of the tumor and can be used for an early and more precise diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer. In addition, liquid biopsy would allow being a non -invasive and more comfortable alternative for the patient in sampling. In conclusion, the project is focused on validating liquid biopsy as an effective tool in the early detection of thyroid cancer.

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