BRAF V600E positive papillary thyroid carcinoma (TERT and TP53 mutation coexistence excluded): Correlation of clinicopathological features and the extent of surgical treatment and its complications

Introduction: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) frequently harbors the BRAF V600E mutation. Recent research suggests that aggressive behavior in BRAF V600E+ PTC may be due to an undetected mutation in the TERT gene. This study aims to observe the clinicopathological features of BRAF V600+ PTC and correlate them with surgical treatment complications. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the BRAF V600E+ PTC cohort from July 2019 to January 2023. The histopathological features and surgical treatment (total thyroidectomy - group A, total thyroidectomy + central block neck dissection - group B) complications were correlated. Patients with TERT and TP53 mutation were excluded. Next-generation sequencing and real-time PCR were used for genetic analysis. Results: Out of 121 PTCs, 65 cases showed BRAF V600E mutation with the following features: intracapsular spread (13.8%), extracapsular spread (27.7%), extrathyroidal spread (15.4%), multifocality (26.2%), angioinvasion (12.3%), and local metastasis (27.7%). The incidence of surgical complications in group A/B was: reversible recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paresis 3.7/7.1%, RLN paresis permanent 0/2.4%, paresthesia 6.8/23.8%, hypocalcemia 36.4/61.9% on day 1 and 27.3/33.3% on day 3, and bleeding 2.3/9.5%. There was no significant difference in clinicopathological features between the BRAF V600E+ and BRAF V600E- PTC groups. Group B had a significantly higher incidence of hypoacalcaemia on postoperative day 1 (p = 0.047). Conclusion: The BRAF V600E mutation will certainly remain important in the preoperative diagnosis of PTC. The more radical surgical procedures currently recommended may be abandoned in the future, particularly elective CLND, which has a higher risk of postoperative complications.