CClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT04742608Updated Mar 10, 2026

Development of Liquid Biopsy Technologies for Noninvasive Cancer Diagnostics in Patients With Suspicious Thyroid Nodules or Thyroid Cancer

An observational study in Thyroid Gland Carcinoma and Thyroid Gland Nodule, sponsored by Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-10.

Sponsored by Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
250
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study is being done to help researchers learn more about and successfully diagnose cancer using blood samples and tissue samples from surgeries in patients with suspicious thyroid nodules or thyroid cancer. Diagnosing cancer in this way, as opposed to biopsies, may be less invasive to the patient. Analyzing blood and tissues samples may also help researchers to differentiate non-cancerous tumors from thyroid cancer and detect high-risk mutations to guide treatment.

Read the detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. Sensitivity and specificity of molecular profile of thyroid derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) as predictor of thyroid cancer.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Quantity of thyroid derived EVs captured in various stages of thyroid cancer.

II. Whether quantity of EVs decreases in proportion to response to therapy in thyroid cancer patients.

III. Optimal ribonucleic acid (RNA)/deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) panel in thyroid tumor derived EVs to diagnose thyroid cancer.

OUTLINE:

Patients undergo collection of blood samples on the day of surgery following anesthesia but prior to incision and approximately 4-6 weeks after surgery. Patients who undergo remnant ablation after total thyroidectomy with radioactive iodine have an additional blood sample collected. Patients also undergo collection of tissue samples following surgical resection of the thyroid. Patients' medical records are also reviewed.

02

Conditions studied

  • Thyroid Gland Carcinoma
  • Thyroid Gland Nodule
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients in endocrine surgery clinic sites across University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) who have undergone thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy.

Inclusion criteria

  • Aged 18 and older
  • Consented for thyroid surgery for thyroid cancer or indeterminate thyroid nodule

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with concurrent malignancy
04

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
250 participants (estimated)
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Ancillary-correlative (biospecimen collection)

    Patients undergo collection of blood samples on the day of surgery following anesthesia but prior to incision and at the first routine blood test following surgery. Patients who undergo remnant ablation after total thyroidectomy with radioactive iodine have an additional blood sample collected. Patients also undergo collection of tissue samples following surgical resection of thyroid nodule or thyroid cancer. Patients' medical records are also reviewed.

    Procedure: Biospecimen Collection · Other: Electronic Health Record Review

Interventions

  • ProcedureBiospecimen Collection

    Undergo collection of blood and tissue samples

  • OtherElectronic Health Record Review

    Medical charts are reviewed

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Sensitivity of molecular profile of thyroid-derived extracellular vesicles

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

  2. Specificity of molecular profile of thyroid-derived extracellular vesicles

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

  3. Negative predictive value of molecular profile of thyroid-derived extracellular vesicles

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

  4. Positive predictive value of molecular profile of thyroid-derived extracellular vesicles

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. Quantity of thyroid-derived extracellular vesicles captured in patients with localized, regional, and distant disease versus benign thyroid adenomas

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

  2. Quantity of thyroid-derived extracellular vesicles captured in patients with excellent, indeterminate, biochemically incomplete, and structural incomplete responses to initial therapy

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

  3. Combination of ribonucleic acid/deoxyribonucleic acid-based tests that can be perf thyroid-derived extracellular vesicles

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

06

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • UCLA / Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
    Recruiting
07

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04742608
Lead sponsor
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Feb 8, 2021
Start date
Feb 21, 2020
Primary completion
Jun 9, 2025
Completion
Feb 1, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 10, 2026

Study contacts

James Wu
principal investigator · UCLA / Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion