DETECTABLE BRAF MUTATION IN SERUM DNA SAMPLES FROM PATIENTS WITH PAPILLARY THYROID CARCINOMAS

Background. An activating point mutation of the BRAF oncogene results in a V600E amino acid missense muta- tion found in a majority of papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC). Methods. In this study, 28 matched tumor and serum sam- ples obtained from patients with both benign and malignant thyroid disorders were analyzed for BRAF mutation using a gap-ligase chain reaction technique. Results. The BRAF mutation was absent in tumor DNA samples obtained from patients with benign adenomas, follicu- lar neoplasms or carcinoma, and thyroid lymphoma. In con- trast, 5 of 14 PTC tumors were positive for the BRAF mutation. Moreover, 3 of 14 patients with PTC were positive for BRAF mutation in serum and tumor. Of these 3 patients, 2 had lymph node metastasis and 2 had PTC in background of the Hashi- moto's thyroiditis. Conclusions. The detection of free circulating mutant BRAF in patients with PTC is possible and future studies are war- ranted to determine its clinical significance. V V C 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 32: 229-234, 2010