Abstract
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) presents a significant health concern, particularly among Hispanic women in the United States, who exhibit a disproportionately higher chance of developing an advanced disease when compared to the non-Hispanic population. Emerging evidence suggests coagulation factor X, encoded by the F10 gene, has a potential role in inhibiting cancer cell migration. However, comprehensive investigations into the differential expression patterns of F10 in Hispanic versus non-Hispanic females remain limited. RNA-sequencing data were acquired from the TCGA database for white female patients, 166 non-Hispanic and 25 Hispanic. A statistically significant (p < 0.05) 2.06-fold increase in F10 expression levels was detected in disease-free tumors compared to recurrent PTC tumors. Furthermore, an increase in F10 gene expression levels was also observed, corresponding to approximately a 1.74-fold increase in non-Hispanic patients compared to Hispanic patients. The probability of tumor recurrence was 1.82 times higher in the cohort with low expression of F10 compared to the high-expression cohort, correlating with the lower disease-free rates observed in the Hispanic patient cohort when compared to non-Hispanics. This finding underscores the relevance of ethnic disparities in molecular profiles for understanding cancer susceptibility. Identifying F10 as a potential prognostic biomarker highlights avenues for targeted interventions and contributes to improving diagnostic and treatment strategies for diverse patient populations.