Red cell distribution width as a marker of thyroid papillary carcinoma

Aim: The study aims to evaluate the relation between red cell distribution width (RDW) and papillary thyroid carcinoma. RDW is a part of routine complete blood count which shows the heterogeneity of the circulating red cells. Studies showed that RDW increases in inflammatory disorders. Methods: The patients′ data from 100 cases with total thyroidectomy were retrospectively evaluated. A total of 50 cases with thyroid papillary carcinoma and 50 cases with benign thyroid nodule were included into the evaluation. Results: The mean RDW value was 14.5 ± 1.7 in papillary carcinoma group and 13.4 ± 0.8 in benign thyroid nodule group. Other hematological parameters of the groups were similar. According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the optimal RDW value for thyroid papillary carcinoma was found to be 12.95% with a sensitivity of 88.00% and specificity of 70.00% (the area under an ROC curve: 0.718, P < 0.001). Conclusion: There is no study in literature evaluating the relation between RDW value and papillary thyroid carcinoma. According to the recent study, an increase in RDW value can be a helping parameter in differentiating papillary carcinoma from benign thyroid nodule.