title: BRAF mutation in the elderly submitted to thyroidectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the frequency of the BRAF V600E mutation in patients over 65 years of age undergoing thyroidectomy, correlating its presence or absence with the different histologic lesions, their variants and with prognostic factors of papillary carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 85 patients over 65 years of age who underwent thyroidectomy, analyzing the BRAF V600E mutation by RT-PCR performed after DNA extraction from the paraffin blocks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study detected the presence or absence of BRAF V600E mutation in 47 patients (55.3%). Among the 17 papillary carcinomas studied, seven had the mutation (41.2%). There was a statistical association between the presence of this mutation and the classic variant of papillary carcinoma, and a trend of association with thyroid extravasation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BRAF mutation in the elderly is also exclusive of papillary carcinoma and is often significant. Furthermore, it is related to the classic variant and possibly to thyroid extravasation.
authors.affiliation: Head and Neck Surgery Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Santa Casa de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. antonio.bertelli@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Antonio Augusto T
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Bertelli
authors.forename: Antonio José
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Marcelo B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Murilo R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tincani
authors.forename: Luiz Cláudio Bosco
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Massarollo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000601:surgery*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000235:genetics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy
chemical_list: C482119:BRAF protein, human; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf