title: Detection of BRAF(V600E) Mutations in Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas by Peptide Nucleic Acid Clamp Real-Time PCR: A Comparison with Direct Sequencing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) of the thyroid is the most common endocrine malignancy. High prevalence of an activating point mutation of BRAF gene, BRAF(V600E), has been reported in PTC. We assessed the efficiency of peptide nucleic acid clamp real-time polymerase chain reaction (PNAcqPCR) for the detection of BRAF(V600E) mutation in PTC in comparison with direct sequencing (DS).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 265 thyroid lesions including 200 PTCs, 5 follicular carcinomas, 60 benign lesions and 10 normal thyroid tissues were tested for BRAF(V600E) mutation by PNAcqPCR and DS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity and accuracy of the PNAcqPCR method were both higher than those of DS for the detection of the BRAF(V600E) mutation. In clinical samples, 89% of PTCs harbored the BRAF(V600E) mutation, whereas 5 follicular carcinomas, 50 benign lesions and 10 normal thyroid tissues lacked the mutation. The mutation was associated with aggressive clinical behaviors as extrathyroid invasion (p=0.015), lymph node metastasis (p=0.002) and multiple tumor numbers (p=0.016) with statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PNAcqPCR method is efficiently applicable for the detection of the BRAF(V600E) mutation in PTCs in a clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Dongjun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Yujun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Sungche
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyeran
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wanju
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyungjoo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Doosan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Soyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Wenxia
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.forename: Hyun-Deuk
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Mee-Hye
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Sung Soo
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung-Ha
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chang-Jin
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: BRAF; Peptide nucleic acids; Thyroid; Thyroid cancer, papillary