Fig 1: Serum sIC levels were elevated in TILNs of DTC patients. (A) Serum concentration of CTLA‐4, LAG‐3, PD‐1, PD‐L1, and TIM‐3 in healthy controls (HC, n = 56) and DTC patients (DTC, n = 71). N.D., not determined. (B) Correlation between serum sIC levels and thyroid function results in DTC patients. The number in each cell in the upper right part of the matrix represents correlation coefficience, and the asterisk in the cell in the lower left part of the matrix represents a significant difference in p value. (C) Serum concentration of LAG‐3, PD‐1, PD‐L1, and TIM‐3 in DTC patients with CLNM (CLNM+, n = 34) or without CLNM (CLNM ‐, n = 37). (D) sIC levels in the supernatant of PBMCs of DTC patients with CLNM (CLNM+, n = 7) or without CLNM (CLNM ‐, n = 8). N.D., not determined. (E) sIC levels in extract from LNs of DTC patients without CLNM (CLNM ‐, n = 8), normal LNs of DTC patients with CLNM (CLNM+ nLNs, n = 7) or tumor‐involved LNs of DTC patients with CLNM (CLNM+ TILNs, n = 7). (F) TIM‐3 levels in extract from patient‐matched nLNs and TILNs (n = 5). *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01.