Study on the expression level of folate receptor γ in thyroid cancer and its association with clinicopathological characteristics

Despite generally favorable outcomes, identifying reliable biomarkers remains crucial for managing aggressive subtypes of thyroid cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the association between folate receptor γ (FOLR3) expression and the clinicopathological features of thyroid cancer, and to explore its clinical relevance using bioinformatics and experimental approaches, ultimately assessing its potential value as a diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker. Differential expression analysis of RNA-sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database was performed to identify the differentially expressed gene FOLR3, followed by standard single-cell analysis. Clinicopathological data from 293 patients with thyroid cancer were collected to investigate pathological characteristics and FOLR3 expression, which was further validated using immunohistochemistry. The functional effects of FOLR3 on the malignant behavior of thyroid cancer cells were assessed using colony formation, Cell Counting Kit-8, scratch wound healing and Transwell invasion assays. FOLR3 expression was significantly higher in normal thyroid tissue compared with cancer tissues (P