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Meta-Analysis
. 2015 Apr;22(2):159-68.
doi: 10.1530/ERC-14-0531. Epub 2015 Jan 15.

BRAFV600E mutation in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: a meta-analysis

Fei Li  1 , Guangqi Chen  2 , Chunjun Sheng  2 , Aaron M Gusdon  2 , Yueye Huang  2 , Zhongwei Lv  3 , Huixiong Xu  3 , Mingzhao Xing  3 , Shen Qu  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

BRAFV600E mutation in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: a meta-analysis

Fei Li et al. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

The prognostic value of the BRAFV600E mutation, resulting in poor clinical outcomes of papillary thyroid carcinoma, has been generally confirmed. However, the association of BRAFV600E with aggressive clinical behaviors of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) has not been firmly established in individual studies. We performed this meta-analysis to examine the relationship between BRAFV600E mutation and the clinicopathological features of PTMC. We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library for relevant studies. We selected all the studies that reported clinicopathological features of PTMC patients with information available on BRAFV600E mutation status. Nineteen studies involving a total of 3437 patients met these selection criteria and were included in the analyses. The average prevalence of the BRAFV600E mutation was 47.48%, with no significant difference with respect to patient sex (male versus female) and age (younger than 45 years versus 45 years or older). Compared with the WT BRAF gene, the BRAFV600E mutation was associated with tumor multifocality (odds ratio (OR) 1.38; 95% CI, 1.04-1.82), extrathyroidal extension (OR 3.09; 95% CI, 2.24-4.26), lymph node metastases (OR 2.43; 95% CI, 1.28-4.60), and advanced stage (OR 2.39; 95% CI, 1.38-4.15) of PTMC. Thus, our findings from this large meta-analysis definitively demonstrate that BRAFV600E-mutation-positive PTMC are more likely to manifest with aggressive clinicopathological characteristics. In appropriate clinical settings, testing for the BRAFV600E mutation is likely to be useful in assisting the risk stratification and management of PTMC.

Keywords: BRAFV600E mutation; meta-analysis; papillary thyroid microcarcinoma; prognosis; thyroid cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The search strategy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Random effect model of the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CI of the frequency of BRAFV600E mutation associated with sex is shown.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Random effect model of the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CI of the frequency of BRAFV600E mutation associated with age is shown.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Random effect model of the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CI of the BRAFV600E mutation associated with thyroid multifocality is shown.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Random effect model of the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CI of the BRAFV600E mutation associated with extrathyroidal extension is shown.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Random effect model of the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CI of the BRAFV600E mutation associated with lymph node metastasis is shown.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Random effect model of the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CI of the BRAFV600E mutation associated with the advanced stage (TNM III/IV) is shown.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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