RET EXPRESSION AND ITS CORRELATION WITH CLINICOPATHOLOGIC DATA IN PAPILLARY THYROID CARCINOMA

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genetics
• Pathology

Background:

• Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) incidence is increasing globally.
• The prognostic value of RET proto-oncogene (RET) mutations in PTC requires further investigation.
• Understanding RET mutation prevalence is crucial for population-specific cancer research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the prognostic value of RET mutation in papillary thyroid carcinoma.
• To determine the incidence of RET mutation in the Croatian population over recent decades.
• To correlate RET mutation status with clinicopathologic features and metastatic potential in PTC.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 180 surgically treated papillary thyroid carcinoma patients.
• Immunohistochemical staining using Clone 3F8 P monoclonal antibody to detect RET oncoprotein.
• Univariate analysis of clinical and histopathologic factors, including RET mutation status, for predicting lymph node metastases and prognostic groups.

Main Results:

• Sex, histologic subtype, and capsular invasion were significant predictors of lymph node metastases (p=0.01, p=0.075, p=0.010 respectively).
• RET mutation was detected in 30% of PTC cases and was not a statistically significant predictor of metastatic potential (p=0.704) or prognostic group classification (p=0.500).
• The incidence of RET mutation in Croatian PTC patients aligns with the expected distribution in sporadic cases.

Conclusions:

• RET mutation status does not appear to be a significant prognostic marker for papillary thyroid carcinoma in the Croatian population.
• The observed RET mutation incidence supports its role in sporadic PTC cases, irrespective of recent increases in overall PTC prevalence.
• Further research may elucidate the specific role of RET mutations in thyroid tumorigenesis and patient outcomes.