BRAF V600E mutation in papillary thyroid cancer is correlated with adverse clinicopathological features but not with iodine exposure

Abstract

Introduction: BRAF V600E activating mutation is the most frequent genetic abnormality in the pathogenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma. We aimed to evaluate the association between BRAF V600E mutation and well-established prognostic clinicopathological characteristics as well as iodine exposure. Material and methods: From 2000 to 2012, the data of PTC patients admitted to Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital in Turkey were reviewed retrospectively. Clinicopathological parameters were collected. BRAF V600E mutation was analysed by DNA sequencing method in tumour specimens. We hypothesised that BRAF V600E mutation prevalence is positively correlated with prolonged iodine exposure and expected to be higher in the second half of the recruitment period due to the increment in time spent from the iodisation process of the table salt in our country. Thus, iodine exposure was categorised as short-term (2000-2006) and long-term (2006-2012). Results: A total of 197 patients were accrued. The study population predominantly consisted of conventional variant. A statistically significant relationship was observed between BRAF V600E mutation presence and age (p = 0.03), conventional variant PTC (p = 0.00002), T4 stage (p = 0.002), vascular invasion (p = 0.036), thyroid capsule invasion (p < 0.00001), extrathyroidal tissue invasion (p < 0.00001), and lymph node metastasis (p < 0.00001). When categorised as long-term and short-term, iodine exposure was not statistically significantly related with BRAF V600E mutation; however, there were far more PTC cases in the long-term group (86.3% vs. 13.7%). Conclusion: We revealed that BRAF V600E mutation is associated with adverse clinicopathological parameters. There appeared to be no relation between long-term iodine exposure and BRAF V600E .

Younger Than 55 Years Old and BRAF V600E Mutation are Risk Factors for Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas ≤1.0 cm but Not in >1.0 cm

“… 28 , 29 BRAF V600E mutation was not associated with central lymph node metastasis in PTC patients. 30 In addition, BRAF V600E mutation was associated with age, 31 , 32 advanced tumor stage, 33 , 34 and a reduced prevalence of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis 34 in PTC patients, however, similar results were not obtained in this study.…”

Prediction of cervical lymph node metastasis with contrast-enhanced ultrasound and association between presence of BRAFV600E and extrathyroidal extension in papillary thyroid carcinoma

“… 8 Previous studies 9 , 10 have reported a strong association between BRAF V600E and the poor clinicopathological outcome of PTCs; however, a paradox has been observed between the high frequency of BRAF V600E mutations in PTCs and the low prevalence of CLNM. 11 – 13 Hence, controversy remains concerning the value and accuracy of BRAF in predicting CLNM.…”

Integrating BRAFV600E mutation, ultrasonic and clinicopathologic characteristics for predicting the risk of cervical central lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma

“…B-type Raf (BRAF) kinase mutation on exon 15 is related to the protein kinase pathway and leads to proliferation and metastasis of PTC [ 15 , 16 ]. There are still greatly controversies regarding the value of BRAF gene in predicting cervical CLNM [ 17 , 18 ]. Virk and colleagues have reported PTC patients bearing BRAF mutation were more likely to have cervical CLNM features [ 19 ], but one opposite research documented that BRAF mutation was not a risk factor for CLNM in PTC patients [ 20 ].…”