Detection of Circulating BRAFV600E in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

BRAFV600E is a common mutation in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) correlated with aggressive features. Our objective was to assess the feasibility and accuracy of a novel RNA-based blood assay to identify individuals with a high-risk tumor mutation in patients with PTC. Patients with benign or malignant thyroid disorders were included between September 2013 and July 2014 before either thyroidectomy (n？=？62) or treatment of recurrent or metastatic PTC (n？=？8). RNA was isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes and reverse transcribed and followed by two rounds of nested PCR amplification with a restriction digest specific for wild-type BRAF.