Background: Circulating cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) in plasma is a promising noninvasive instrument for cancer monitoring. Detection of BRAFV600E on ctDNA of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) may represent an indicator of tumor aggressiveness and progression.
Methods: Eighty-three plasma samples were collected from 70 patients with thyroid nodules undergoing surgery and from 13 patients with PTC causing distant metastases. A total of 59 PTCs from both groups were evaluated for BRAF mutation on tumor tissue and on ctDNA from plasma samples by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and digital PCR.
Results: Of 59 PTCs, 22 were BRAFV600E mutated (37.3%). The corresponding ctDNA was negative by using both techniques.
Conclusion: Although highly sensitive techniques were used, in our study, circulating BRAFV600E alleles were never detected in the plasma of patients with PTC; therefore, our results raise the question about the clinical usefulness of BRAFV600E analysis on ctDNA of patients with PTC.
Keywords: BRAF; circulating tumor DNA; digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR); papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC); thyroid cancer.
© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.