Objective To explore the correlation between miR-221/222 expression and the pathological features of thyroid carcinomas.Methods A total of thyroid tissue specimens was collected in thyroid surgery from Mar 2013 to Feb 2014.The expression levels of miR-221/222 were tested with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).The expression levels of miR-221/222 were analyzed in different thyroid carcinoma tissues.Results The expression levels of miR-221/222 were significantly over-expressed in thyroid carcinoma tissues compared to non-thyroid carcinoma tissues (F =9.358,P =0.0014).No significant difference was found among different groups of non-thyroid carcinoma tissues (F =1.367,P =0.839).The expression levels of miR-221/222 were significantly different in thyroid carcinoma specimens with different pathological features (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The expression levels of miR-221/222 were significantly over-expressed in thyroid carcinoma tissues.Both expression levels of miR221/222 were associated with extrathyroidal invasion,regional lymph nodes,and tumor staging.The expression levels of miR-221/222 might guide diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of thyroid carcinomas.