Incidence of BRAF mutations in cutaneous melanoma: histopathological and molecular analysis of aUkrainian population.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the incidence of BRAF mutation in cutaneous melanoma in the Ukrainian population with respect to clinical and histopathological data. This single-center retrospective cohort study enrolled 299 primary CM with known BRAF status assessed by RT-PCR. The overall BRAF mutation rate was 56.5% in CM and demonstrated a link with the younger age (p<0.001), anatomical site (p<0.001) and histological type of CM (p=0.022). BRAF-positive CM possessed a slightly higher mitotic rate (p=0.015) and Breslow thickness (p=0.028) but did not relate to tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. The high rate of BRAF mutations in CM patients in the Ukrainian cohort was associated with superficial spreading histology, higher depth of invasion and proliferation.