Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3987660 | European Journal of Surgical Oncology (EJSO) | 2008 | 5 Pages |
AimsTo investigate the frequency and clinical significance of RET rearrangement in Chinese patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and discuss the role of RET rearrangement in therapeutic decision-making after the performance of level VI lymph node dissection and the 2002 AJCC staging system.MethodsRET/PTC-1 and RET/PTC-3 were detected in 126 PTCs using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and direct sequencing.ResultsRET rearrangement was detected in 18 cases of PTC. The patient group aged <20 years had the highest frequency (3/6) of RET rearrangement among the age groups (<20 years, 20–40 years and ≥40 years; P = 0.03). RET/PTC-1 positive patients were more likely to suffer from Hashimoto's thyroiditis simultaneously (P = 0.02) while RET/PTC-3 positive patients had a higher frequency of extrathyroidal extension (P < 0.01) and advanced T classification (P < 0.01). RET rearrangement (OR = 8.70, 95% CI 1.69–44.81), male (OR = 3.88, 95% CI 1.41–10.69), age (OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.93–0.99), multifocality (OR = 3.54, 95% CI 1.33–9.41) and advanced T classification (OR = 7.32, 95% CI 2.91–18.40) were all identified as risk factors of level II–V lymph node involvement in the multivariate analysis.ConclusionsThe frequency of RET rearrangement in Chinese patients is low and age related. RET/PTC-1 and RET/PTC-3 are associated with different clinical pathological characteristics but not with lymph node involvement. The RET/PTC positive patients should receive more attention to lateral neck in the management of PTC.