Association of BRAF^V600E mutation with ultrasonographic features and clinicopathologic characteristics of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: A retrospective study of 116 cases

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Chen, Baoding^{a; c; 1} | Zhang, Zheng^{a; 1} | Wang, Keke^a | Shang, Mengyuan^a | Zhao, Shuangshuang^a | Ding, Wenbo^b | Du, Rui^a | Yu, Zhuan^a | Xu, Ximing^{c; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Medical Ultrasound, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China | [b] Department of Medical Ultrasound, Jiangsu Province Hospital on Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing, China | [c] Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Center for Drug/Gene Delivery and Tissue Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Ximing Xu, Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Center for Drug/Gene Delivery and Tissue Enginee Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212001 China. E-mail: xmxu@ujs.edu.cn.

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To analyze the association of BRAFV600E mutation with ultrasonographic (US) features and clinicopathologic characteristics in Chinese patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). METHODS AND MATERIALS:We retrospectively reviewed 116 consecutive Chinese patients with PTMC diagnosed by postoperative pathology. The incidence of the BRAFV600E mutation was calculated. The US features and clinicopathologic characteristics were compared between BRAF-positive and BRAF-negative patients. RESULTS:The BRAFV600E mutation was detected in 60.3% of patients (70 of 116). Multifocality (OR: 3.681, P = 0.031), non-parallel orientation (OR: 3.181, P = 0.041) and lymph node metastasis (OR: 4.615, P = 0.009) were significantly associated with BRAFV600E mutation. Other US and clinicopathologic characteristics were not significantly related to the presence of BRAF mutation. CONCLUSION:Multifocality, non-parallel orientation and cervical lymph node metastasis are risk factors for BRAFV600E mutation in PTMC. These factors potentially guide treatment planning or prognosis evaluation.

Keywords: BRAF^V600E mutation, ultrasonographic features, clinicopathologic characteristics, papillary thyroid microcarcinoma

DOI: 10.3233/CH-190568

Journal: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 73, no. 4, pp. 545-552, 2019