BRAF V600E detection in cytological thyroid samples: A key component of the decision tree for surgical treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Background. Whether preoperative knowledge of the BRAF mutation status would help to determine the extent of surgery for thyroid nodules is still under investigation. Methods. We developed a method to state the V600E mutation before surgery on fine-needle aspiration (FNA) stained smears checked to contain tumor cells. We evaluated the interest of the preoperative assessment of the mutation for surgical strategy of nodules, diagnosed as malignant, suspicious for malignancy or follicular neoplasms. Results. The mutation was found in 81% (79 of 97) malignant, 59% (20 of 34) suspicious nodules, and in none of follicular neoplasms (n = 29). Overall, the mutation was detected in 82% of papillary carcinomas. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for the diagnosis of malignancy were 75%, 100%, 100%, and 46%, respectively. Conclusion. The preoperative knowledge of the V600E mutation status is fundamental to plan total thyroidectomy with certainty and should be part of the decision tree for the management of thyroid nodules. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.