BRAF V600E Expression in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and its Association with Histological Prognostic Factors

Background: Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine tumor, accounting for 90% of all endocrine malignancies. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common thyroid cancer. Despite its good prognosis, a small number of PTC cases develop lymph node metastasis, extrathyroidal extension, distant metastasis, or recurrent disease. The B-type RAF V600E (BRAF V600E) mutation is the most commonly observed genetic abnormality in PTC and PTC-derived anaplastic carcinoma. This study was done to determine the association between BRAF V600E expression in PTC and tumor size, multifocality, extrathyroidal extension, and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 50 cases of papillary thyroid cancer at the Department of Pathology, BSMMU, Dhaka, Bangladesh from March 2022 to February 2024. Tumor size, tumor focality, extrathyroidal extension, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, and PTC histologic subtype are among the histological prognostic variables. The BRAF V600E mutation status was examined with immunohistochemistry on the selected paraffin blocks. BRAF V600E expression was determined by scoring based on signal intensity (0-3) and the proportion of tumor cells (0-100%). Demographic data, histological findings and the BRAF V600E expression status of all the cases were compiled, followed by statistical analysis. Results: Out of 50 PTC cases, 23 (46%) cases were BRAF V600E expression-positive. No significant association was found between BRAF V600E expression and tumor size, extrathyroidal extension, tumor focality, or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. Discussion: No significant association was found between the expression of BRAF V600E and tumor size, extrathyroidal extension, tumor focality, or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis in PTC.