Utility of BRAF immunohistochemistry for the detection of BRAF mutations in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Analysis of detailed histological subtypes

The BRAF mutation has been observed in 32–73% of papillary thyroid carcinomas. Despite the superiority of genetic tests for detecting BRAF mutations, they have inherent disadvantages. The objective of this study was to analyze the specificity and sensitivity of BRAF immunohistochemistry (IHC) that has been used in recent years and may serve as an alternative to genetic testing, in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

A total of 103 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma were analyzed for BRAF V600E mutation by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and IHC.

The results demonstrated that the BRAF V600E mutation was identified in 55 (53.3%) of 103 cases by real-time PCR, while BRAF IHC positivity was observed in 65 (63.1%) of 103 cases. The study found that the specificity of BRAF IHC was 79.2%, while the sensitivity was 100%. The real-time PCR analysis identified 10 cases that were positive for BRAF IHC and exhibited wild-type BRAF.

BRAF IHC can be utilized as a screening test and as a partial alternative to genetic tests. This is due to its low cost, straightforward routine application, moderate to high specificity, and high sensitivity.