OBJECTIVETo investigate the aggressive properties of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with concurrent BRAF(V600E) mutation and rearranged during transfection (RET) proto-oncogene protein expression.

METHODSFifty 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.

RESULTSOf 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).

CONCLUSIONPTC 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.