Relationship between BRAFV600E gene and TERT promoter mutations with cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To clarify the role of BRAFV600Eand TERT promoter mutations in cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Methods The data of 432 patients with thyroid papillary carcinoma who underwent surgery from February 2017 to September 2017 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were analyzed retrospectively. The mutation of BRAFV600E and TERT promoter was detected by Sanger sequencing. The effect of BRAFV600E and TERT on cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma was analyzed by Chi-square test. Results The mutation rates of BRAFV600E and TERT promoter were 77.8% (336/432) and 5.3% (23/432) respectively in 432 papillary thyroid carcinoma patients. The probability of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with BRAFV600E mutation was significantly higher than that in non-mutation patients (P<0.05). The probability of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with TERT promoter mutation was significantly higher than that in non-mutated patients (P<0.05). Patients with both BRAFV600E and TERT promotermutation had a significantly higher incidence of cervical lymph node metastases than patients with the BRAFV600E mutation alone (P<0.05). Conclusions The mutations of BRAFV600E and TERT promoter are closely relevant to the occurrence of cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Preoperative fine-needle aspiration cytology and postoperative routine pathological molecular diagnosis can help clinicians to develop a more rational treatment strategy, and a more accurate assessment of the risk of relapse. Key words: Thyroid neoplasms; Carcinoma, papillary; Chi-Square distribution; TERT promoterBRAF V600E; Cervical lymph node metastasis