Real-Time PCR Cycle Threshold Values for the BRAF(V600E) Mutation in Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma May Be Associated With Central Lymph Node Metastasis: A Retrospective Study

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) usually has excellent prognosis, but a small subset shows aggressive behavior. Although the B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF)(V600E) mutation is the most common oncogenic alteration in PTMCs, it is frequently heterogeneously distributed within tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the BRAF(V600E) mutation found in fine needle aspirates from PTMCs with known clinicopathologic prognostic factors, based on both its presence and a quantitative approach that uses cycle threshold (Ct) values obtained by a real-time PCR technique. The 460 PTMC patients were included, with 367 patients having the BRAF(V600E) mutation. Clinicopathologic variables were compared between patients with and without the BRAF(V600E) mutation. BRAF(V600E) Ct values were compared according to clinicopathologic prognostic factors. Multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate factors predicting extrathyroidal extension and central and lateral lymph node metastasis (LNM). Each analysis used either the BRAF(V600E) mutation status or the Ct value as an independent variable for all the study patients and the 367 BRAF(V600E)-positive patients. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of BRAF(V600E) Ct values in predicting central and lateral LNM. The BRAF(V600E) mutation status was not associated with clinicopathologic prognostic factors among the 460 PTMC patients. Of the 367 BRAF(V600E)-positive patients, Ct values were significantly lower in patients with central and lateral LNM (P < 0.001, P = 0.007). The Ct value was the only independent factor to predict central LNM (OR 0.918, P = 0.025). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for diagnosing central LNM was 0.623 (sensitivity, 50.0%; specificity, 71.9%) and for diagnosing lateral LNM, it was 0.796 (sensitivity, 71.4%; specificity, 94.7%). In conclusion, real-time PCR Ct values for the BRAF(V600E) mutation obtained from fine needle aspirates can be associated with central LNM in PTMC patients. Although BRAF(V600E) Ct values did not reach statistical significance for predicting lateral LNM in our study, further validation through larger studies can be used to overcome any possible type-II errors. With further studies, Ct values for the BRAF(V600E) mutation obtained from fine needle aspirates may have important implications for predicting both central and lateral LNM in patients with PTMCs.