Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2012) 29 P1758

ICEECE2012 Poster Presentations Thyroid cancer (108 abstracts)

BRAFV600E mutation is an indipendent predictive prognostic factor for persistent/recurrent disease in low risk differentiated thyroid cancer patients: a 5 year follow up study

D Viola , L Torregrossa , R Giannini , C Ugolini , A Biagini , C Romei , E Molinaro , L Agate , F Basolo , A Pinchera , P Vitti & R Elisei


University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.


BRAFV600E mutation is the most frequent genetic alteration (29–83%) of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Many authors have demonstrated that the presence of the mutation is associated with a more advanced tumor stage at diagnosis and a worse outcome but anyone assessed if BRAFV600E mutation could be useful prognostic marker in low risk PTC patients (T1-T2N0M0, 7th TNM classification).

Aim of this study was to evaluate if the presence of BRAFV600E mutation in the primary tumor could be a predictor of persistent/recurrent disease in this subgroup of patients.

We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological features of 431 consecutive PTC patients treated with total/near total thyroidectomy and iodine-131 (when appropriate) and we selected 319 low risk PTC patients.

Genomic DNA was purified from paraffin-embedded tumoral tissue. A PCR SSCP analysis of exon 15 of BRAF was performed and direct genomic sequencing of SSCP positive cases was made.

The mutation was present in 106/319 patients (33.2%) and was significantly associated to the absence or invasion of tumoral capsule (P<0.0001), aggressive histological variant (P=0.0001) and multifocality (P=0.02). After 5 years of follow up, 24 (8.5%) patients had persistent disease and 295 (85.3%) were free of disease. BRAFV600E mutation was present in 89 patients (89/295=30.2%) free of disease and in 17 (17/24=70.8%) patients with persistent disease. At univariate analysis persistent disease was associated only with the presence of BRAFV600E mutation in the primary tumoral tissue (P<0.0001).

In conclusion, our results show the correlation of BRAFV600E mutation with aggressive features also in low risk PTC patients and indicate that the presence of BRAFV600E mutation is a bad prognostic factor for persistent/recurrent disease also in low risk PTC patients.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.

Volume 29

15th International & 14th European Congress of Endocrinology

European Society of Endocrinology 

Browse other volumes

Article tools

My recent searches

No recent searches.