Invasive properties of papillary thyroid cancer with concurrent BRAF(V600E) mutation and rearranged during transfection proto-oncogene protein expression / 中国医学科学院学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the aggressive properties of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with concurrent BRAF(V600E) mutation and rearranged during transfection (RET) proto-oncogene protein expression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty pathologically confirmed PTC patients who had received thyroidectomy were enrolled in this study. BRAF(V600E) mutation was detected by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), while RET protein expression was measured by immunohistochemical SP method. Clinical and pathological features were compared between the concurrent BRAF(V600E) mutation and RET protein expression group (n=24) and BRAF(V600E) mutation or RET protein expression alone group (n=19). Seven patients were ruled out from the final analysis due to the absence of either BRAF(V600E) mutation or RET protein expression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of these 50 patients, BRAF(V600E) mutation and RET protein expression were detected in 38 patients (76%) and 28 patients (56%), respectively. Concurrent BRAF(V600E) mutation and RET expression was detected in 24 patients (48%). Compared with the concurrent BRAF(V600E) mutation and RET protein expression group, the BRAF(V600E) mutation or RET protein expression alone group had relatively poorer tissue differentiation and higher prognostic score (P=0.011, P=0.022).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>PTC patients with concurrent BRAF(V600E) mutation and RET expression present poorer differentiation, more highly aggressive variant in carcinoma tissues, and higher cancer-related mortality risk.</p>