BRAFV600E expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma: potential diagnostic utility

LI Ying-feng; WANG Shu-jun; YU Min; SUN Jing; SONG Meng-yuan; LIU An-qi; LI Xiao-qiang; WANG Ying

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1007-8096.2017.12.007

Abstract：Objective To explore the silk/threonine specific protein kinase gene V600E (BRAFV600E)expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC),and the relationship between the clinical pathologic features and prognosis.Methods Using EnVision immunohistochemical method,we detected BRAF V600E in expression of 315 cases of samples (including 151 cases of PTC).Results Positive rate of BRAF V600E in PTC was 36.4％,significantly higher than control group of the thyroid group (15.8％,P ＜ 0.05) and other lesions (6.3％,P ＜ 0.05),and also higher than the control group of nodular goiter group (18％,P ＜ 0.05),and follicular tumor group (7.1％) (Fisherg precision value =0.0359);but in the group of breast lesions (18.5％),there was no statistically significant difference (P ＞ 0.05).Correlation of BRAFV 600E expression in PTC with the presence of thyroid capsule invasion,lymph node metastasis and other clinical indexes (histologic type,age,sex,tumor size and multiple masses) was not detected;capsular invasion group (71.5％) was significantly higher than non-capsular invasion group (28.5％);lymph node metastasis group (90％) was significantly higher than without lymph node metastasis group (28.2％).Positive rate of BRAF V600E in PTC with Hashimoto thyroiditis (59.1％) was higher than that PTC without accompanying lesions (30.7％,P ＜ 0.05);in the PTC with nodular goiter,follicular adenoma,or calcification there was no statistically significant difference with pathological changes.Conclusion BRAFV600E protein expression in PTC is high,and associated with poor prognosis in patients,suggesting that BRAFV600E protein might play an important role in the occurrence and development of PTC.