As concerning FGFR-2-IIIb, in hyperplastic thyroid samples we did not observe a significant decrease with respect to normal tissue (0.87 fold, P = 0.14), while both adenoma and carcinoma samples showed a consistent reduction of FGFR-2-IIIb expression (0.13 and 0.27 fold, respectively, P<0.01) (Fig. 3A). Here, FGFR2 is linked to thyroid gland disorder.