{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,30]],"date-time":"2026-10-30T23:37:52Z","timestamp":1793403472458,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,29]],"date-time":"2025-05-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748476800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Current Oncology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common thyroid malignancy, with significant racial\/ethnic disparities in incidence and survival. Asians have the highest incidence, and recurrence, while African Americans experience the lowest survival rates, suggesting contributions from genetic, environmental, and healthcare-related factors. While socioeconomic disparities play a role, emerging evidence highlights genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying these differences. This study examines differentially expressed genes (DEGs) to identify potential molecular drivers of PTC disparities. Bulk RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data from 20 PTC tumors (5 White, 5 African American, 5 Hispanic, and 5 Asian) were analyzed using the UseGalaxy platform. Preprocessing included quality control, adapter trimming, and genome alignment. Differential expression analysis identified genes with p &lt; 0.01 and fold change \u2265 2.5. Volcano plots visualized significant DEGs. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) via eVITTA identified enriched pathways. TCGA data analysis validated racial\/ethnic differences in gene expression. Ethnic groups exhibited distinct gene expression profiles. GSEA revealed differences in cell proliferation, immune regulation, and thyroid hormone metabolism. African Americans showed immune suppression and reduced tumor suppressor activity, while Asians exhibited enriched cell cycle and DNA repair pathways. Significant differences were confirmed in some of the genes in TCGA data analysis. This study identifies genetic factors contributing to racial disparities in PTC, emphasizing the need for further validation in larger cohorts and functional studies. Understanding these molecular differences may inform personalized treatment strategies and improve PTC outcomes across diverse populations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/curroncol32060315","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,29]],"date-time":"2025-05-29T07:46:26Z","timestamp":1748504786000},"page":"315","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Unraveling Racial Disparities in Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Comparative Bulk RNA-Sequencing Gene Expression Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"32","author":[{"given":"Luiza","family":"Barseghyan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Health Disparities, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Samuel","family":"Chan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Health Disparities, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Celina R.","family":"Yamauchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Health Disparities, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Shields","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mia C.","family":"Perez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alfred A.","family":"Simental","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2564-4358","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Salma","family":"Khan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Health Disparities, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA"},{"name":"Center for Health Disparities & Molecular Medicine, 11085 Campus Street, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1089\/thy.2015.0020","article-title":"2015 American Thyroid Association Management Guidelines for Adult Patients with Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: The American Thyroid Association Guidelines Task Force on Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer","volume":"26","author":"Haugen","year":"2016","journal-title":"Thyroid"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"317","DOI":"10.1001\/jamaoto.2014.1","article-title":"Current thyroid cancer trends in the United States","volume":"140","author":"Davies","year":"2014","journal-title":"JAMA Otolaryngol. 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