title: The BRAF mutation is not associated with poor prognostic factors in Korean patients with conventional papillary thyroid microcarcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The BRAF(V600E) mutation, the most common genetic alteration reported in papillary thyroid carcinoma, has been associated with poor prognostic factors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the presence of the BRAF(V600E) mutation is associated with poor prognosis in Korean patients with conventional papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (micro-PTC).
  
  
  METHODS
  DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded thyroid tumour specimens taken from 60 patients with conventional micro-PTC, as well as from nine patients with follicular variant papillary carcinoma, six with nodular hyperplasia, four with follicular carcinoma (including one with Hürthle cell carcinoma), four with follicular adenoma (including two with Hürthle cell adenoma) and one each with medullary carcinoma, poorly differentiated carcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma. The presence of the BRAF(V600E) mutation was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of exon 15 followed by direct sequencing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BRAF(V600E) mutation was detected in tumour samples from 31 of 60 conventional micro-PTC patients (52%), but was not detected in patients with other types of thyroid tumours. The age distribution, tumour size, extrathyroid extension, multifocality and staging did not differ significantly between patients with and without the BRAF(V600E) mutation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Korean patients with conventional micro-PTC, the presence of the BRAF(V600E) mutation was not significantly associated with prognostic factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Centre, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Yong
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Won Bae
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ja Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Yoon Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.forename: Gyungyub
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Yong Mee
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Sang Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seong Chul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Suck Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Young Kee
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Shong
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017354:Point Mutation; D011379:Prognosis; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000235:genetics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; C482119:BRAF protein, human; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf