BRAFV600E mutation in papillary thyroid carcinoma: a potential target for therapy?

Paula Soares; Ana Preto; Manuel Sobrinho-Simões

doi:10.1586/eem.09.29

BRAF^V600E mutation in papillary thyroid carcinoma: a potential target for therapy?

Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Sep;4(5):467-480. doi: 10.1586/eem.09.29.

Authors

Paula Soares¹, Ana Preto², Manuel Sobrinho-Simões³

Affiliations

¹ a Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Rua Dr Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-4465 Porto, Portugal and Department of Pathology, Medical Faculty of the University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal. psoares@ipatimup.pt.
² b Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Rua Dr Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-4465 Porto, Portugal and Molecular and Environmental Biology Centre (CBMA), Department of Biology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-4057 Braga, Portugal. apreto@bio.uminho.pt.
³ c Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Rua Dr Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal and Department of Pathology, Medical Faculty of the University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal and Department of Pathology, Hospital de S. João, Porto, Portugal. ssimoes@ipatimup.pt.

PMID: 30736186
DOI: 10.1586/eem.09.29

Abstract

This article reviews the therapeutic significance of the close genotype-phenotype association in papillary thyroid carcinoma, namely regarding the association between genetic alterations in RET, BRAF or RAS genes and the histopathological variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Based upon the aforementioned review on morphology and molecular pathology, the most recent prognostic and therapeutic data are reviewed and the role of targeted therapies, namely those interfering with BRAF-activated pathways are discussed, which may play a role in the treatment of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma unresponsive to radioactive iodine.

Keywords: BRAF; follicular variant of papillary; genetic alteration; papillary thyroid carcinoma; sorafenib; therapeutics; thyroid cancer; thyroid carcinoma.