Null Association between BRAF V600E Mutation and Tumor Recurrence in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma in South Korea
10.11106/ijt.2021.14.2.135
- Author:
Ji Yoon KIM
1
;
Kyoung Jin KIM
;
Jae Hyun BAE
;
Joo Hyung KIM
;
Nam Hoon KIM
;
Hee Young KIM
;
Hoon Yub KIM
;
Seung-Kuk BAEK
;
Sin Gon KIM
;
Kwang Yoon JUNG
;
Kyeong Jin KIM
Author Information
1. Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism , Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Publication Type:ORIGINAL A R T IC L E
- From:International Journal of Thyroidology
2021;14(2):135-142
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Background and Objectives:The clinical implications of the BRAF V600E mutation in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), defined as ≤1.0 cm of tumor size, remain controversial. We investigated the association between the BRAFV600E mutation and PTMC recurrence in a retrospective cohort of patients with thyroid cancer.
Materials and Methods:This study included 2319 patients with PTMC (median age, 50 years [interquartile range (IQR), 41-57 years]) who underwent thyroid surgery from 2010 to 2019 at a single tertiary medical center. The median follow-up time was 75 months (IQR, 30-98 months). Tumor recurrence was confirmed by histological, cytological, radiographic, and biochemical criteria, combined with persistent and recurrent disease.
Results:A total of 60.2% (1395/2319) patients with PTMC had the BRAF V600E mutation. The tumor recurrence rate was 2.1% (19/924) in BRAF mutation-negative patients and 2.9% (41/1395) in BRAF mutation-positive patients, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61-1.84) after adjusting for clinicopathological risk factors. Similar results were found in patients with high-risk PTMC (adjusted HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.56-2.11) who had lymph node metastasis (LNM), extrathyroidal extension (ETE), or distant metastasis (DM) at diagnosis and in patients with low-risk PTMC (adjusted HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.35-2.83) who had no LNM, ETE, or DM.
Conclusion:The finding that the BRAF V600E mutation was not associated with tumor recurrence in our cohort of Korean patients with PTMC, especially in patients with low-risk PTMC, suggests that its value in the prediction of disease progression is limited.
