Multiple genetic alterations in papillary thyroid cancer are associated with younger age at presentation.
BACKGROUND
There is a significant gender and age disparity in thyroid cancer incidence and outcome. The molecular basis for these divergent clinical presentations and outcome are essentially unknown.


METHODS
The primary tumor genotype in 217 patients with papillary thyroid cancer was determined for six common somatic genetic alterations (RET/PTC1, RET/PTC3, and NTRK1 rearrangements, and BRAF V600E, KRAS, and NRAS hotspot mutations) by PCR and direct sequencing, and nested PCR. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the association of genetic changes and age, gender, and other clinicopathologic factors.


RESULTS
One hundred twenty-one of the 190 conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma samples (63.7%) had at least one genetic alteration, and 27 of the samples (14.2%) had more than one alteration. In the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinomas, 13 of the 27 samples (48.1%) had at least one genetic alteration and three of the 27 samples (11.1%) had more than one. The presence of multiple genetic alterations was associated with younger age at diagnosis (P=0.034), mean difference of 8 y earlier. We found no significant association with the number or type of genetic alterations present by gender, tumor size, extent of tumor differentiation, multicentricity, lymph node metastasis, distant metastases, TNM stage, and the AMES risk group. The association of multiple genetic alterations and younger age were independent of tumor size, lymph node or distant metastasis, TNM stage, or AMES risk group.


CONCLUSIONS
Multiple genetic alterations are more common in younger patients with papillary thyroid cancer, but there is no difference in the type or number of genetic alterations by gender. Our findings suggest that multiple genetic alterations in thyroid cancer may be associated with earlier disease initiation and or progression.
Moses
Willieford
W
Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.
Weng
Julie
J
Khanafshar
Elham
E
Duh
Quan-Yang
QY
Clark
Orlo H
OH
Kebebew
Electron
E
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D011905:Genes, ras / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D050596:Oncogene Fusion / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000235:genetics; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret / Q000235:genetics; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D020917:Receptor, trkA / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics
C117307:KRAS protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; C099282:RET protein, human; D020917:Receptor, trkA; C482119:BRAF protein, human; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins