BRAFV600E Mutation Associated With Non-Radioiodine-Avid Status in Distant Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Purpose: It was reported that BRAF(V600E) mutation correlates with radioactive iodine refractory papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in local recurrence, whereas its relationship with I-131 uptake status in distant metastatic PTC remains uncertain. This prospective study tried to explore the association between I-131 uptake in distant metastases (DM) of PTC and BRAF(V600E) mutation status in their primary tumor. Methods: Seventy-three patients with DM were divided into BRAF(V600E) mutation group (n = 19) and wild-type BRAF group (n = 54) according to the BRAF mutation status. After posttherapy I-131 whole-body scan was performed, the relation between I-131 uptake in DM, BRAF(V600E) mutation status, and clinicopathological characteristics of 2 groups were compared. Results: The mean age of mutation group was older than that of the wildtype group (P < 0.05). In the mutation group, 16 patients (84.2%, 16 of 19) were found to be with non-iodine-avid DM, whereas in wild-type group, only 5.6% (3 of 54) were with non-iodine-avid DM. The sensitivity and specificity of using BRAF(V600E) mutation for the identification of non-iodine-avid DM were 84.2% and 94.4%, respectively. Conclusions: BRAF(V600E) mutation in primary tumor might be a promising molecular marker to predict the status of I-131 uptake in distal metastases.