Association between BRAF V600E mutation and regional lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Background: BRAF V600E is the most frequent genetic alteration in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC); there are ongoing conflicts on its association with regional lymph node metastasis. And we aimed to test this association in a referred sample in a single institute in China. Methods: We analyzed BRAF V600E mutational status in the primary lesion of 150 PTC cases in Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) and their corresponding lymph node metastasis (if present and available) using a validated Amplification Refractory Mutation System Polymerase Chain Reaction (ARMS-PCR) method. Results: Among 150 PTC cases, 121 (80.6%) primary tumors harbored BRAF V600E mutation, 66.9% (81/121) and 79.3% (23/29) had regional lymph node metastasis (LNM) in cases detected with and without BRAF V600E mutation, respectively (P = 0.195). The BRAF V600E mutational status of most of the metastatic lesions was not different to that of their primary foci (73 out of 76 cases, 96.1%, Kappa value = 0.893). The 3 inconsistent cases were all mutation positive for primary tumors and mutation negative for LNM. Conclusion: No association was established between BRAF V600E mutation and regional lymph node metastasis in PTC in Chinese patients.