Correlation among the BRAF gene mutation status, clinicopathological features of primary tumour, and lymph node metastasizing of papillary thyroid carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common malignant thyroid tumour. A common mutation of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the somatic mutation of the BRAF (V600E) gene.


OBJECTIVE
The aim was to 1) determine the association of lymph node metastases of PTC with the BRAF gene mutation of primary tumour; 2) evaluate association of the BRAF mutation in the -primary tumour with clinicopathological para-meters; 3) examine the extent of genetic heterogeneity by monitoring the BRAF mutation in multicentric tumours.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of the BRAF (V600E) mutation in PTC and PTC neck lymph node metastases in 156 patients operated from 2003 to 2012 in Prague and Zlín, the Czech Republic, using a qPCR assay. The results were correlated with clinicopathological factors.


RESULTS
DNA was successfully extracted from 137 samples. The BRAF (V600E) mutation was detected in 78 cases (56.9%). The patients with BRAF p.Val600Glu mutation of primary tumour had only non-significantly higher risk of cervical lymph node metastases [OR=2.39 (95%) CI 1.00-5.75, p=0.052]. In the classic papillary variant, the BRAF (V600E) mutation was found significantly more often than in other PTC subtypes (p=0.022). We did not confirm any significant association between the BRAF (V600E) mutation and other clinicopathological findings.


CONCLUSIONS
Except for the higher prevalence in papillary variant of PTC, BRAF p.Val600Glu mutation was not associated with other prognostic clinicopathological factors of PTC. BRAF mutation cannot be regarded as a reliable marker of node metastases in patients with PTC.
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
J
J
Lukas
Laboratory of Experimental Medicine, the Institute of Molecular and -Translational Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
J
J
Drabek
Department of Surgery, Atlas Hospital, Zlín, Czech Republic.
B
B
Dudesek
Biopsy and Cytology Laboratory of J.A.Baťa, Zlín, Czech Republic.
P
P
Vazan
Laboratory of Experimental Medicine, the Institute of Molecular and -Translational Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
J
J
Stranska
Laboratory of Experimental Medicine, the Institute of Molecular and -Translational Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
S
S
Jancik
Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology, 2nd Medical Faculty, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
M
M
Mackova
Department of Pathology, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
M
M
Syrucek
Surgery Clinics, 3rd Medical Faculty, Charles University and Faculty Hospital Královské Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic.
D
D
Lukas
Institute of Pathology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
J
J
Duskova
Institute of Pathology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
P
P
Dundr
Department of Endocrinology, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech -Republic.
B
B
Hintnausova
The 3rd Department of Medicine - Department of Endocrinology and -Metabolism 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and -General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
J
J
Jiskra
D000328:Adult; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D011379:Prognosis; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000235:genetics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*
C482119:BRAF protein, human; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf