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Search for other papers by Alyaksandr V Nikitski in
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Mutations of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene are highly prevalent in thyroid anaplastic carcinomas (AC) but are also reported in some well-differentiated cancers and even in benign adenomas. The natural history of TP53-mutant adenomas and whether they may represent a precursor for well-differentiated cancer or AC is largely unknown. Similarly, the frequency of TP53 mutations in thyroid nodules found on routine molecular analysis of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) samples is not established. A database on 44,510 FNA samples from thyroid nodules with predominantly indeterminate cytology tested using ThyroSeq v3 was reviewed to identify TP53-mutant cases and analyze their genetic profile and available clinicopathological findings. Among 260 (0.6%) selected thyroid nodules, 36 had an isolated TP53 mutation and 224 carried a combination of TP53 with other genetic alterations. No significant difference was observed between these groups with respect to patient age, gender, nodule size, and spectrum of TP53 mutations. Histopathologically, 86% of the resected nodules with isolated TP53 mutations were benign (mostly adenomas), whereas 82% of nodules carrying TP53 mutations co-occurring with other alterations were cancers (P = 0.001), including de-differentiated AC. TP53-mutant benign tumors and well-differentiated cancers often had scattered single neoplastic cells with bizarre nuclei resembling those comprising AC. Our study demonstrates that a small but distinct proportion of thyroid nodules carry a TP53 mutation, either as a single genetic event or in combination with other alterations. While the latter is mostly cancers prone to dedifferentiation, there is at least a theoretical possibility that TP53-mutated adenomas may represent a precursor for such cancers, including AC.
Search for other papers by Esra Karslioglu French in
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Search for other papers by Alyaksandr V Nikitski in
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Search for other papers by Marina N Nikiforova in
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Search for other papers by Yuri E Nikiforov in
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EIF1AX gene mutations are reported in both benign and malignant thyroid tumors, with unclear outcomes when detected preoperatively. The aim of this study was to determine the features and outcomes of thyroid nodules with various types of mutation identified in cytologic (fine-needle aspiration) samples on preoperative ThyroSeq testing and with surgical outcomes. In this single-institution retrospective study of 31 consecutive patients, 77% were female and nodule size ranged from 1.5 to 9.4 cm with widely varying cytologic and TI-RADS ultrasound categorizations. Among two main mutational hotspots, 55% were located in exon 2 and 45% at the intron 5/exon 6 splice site. On histology, 45% of -positive nodules were cancer/noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) including 19% encapsulated follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinoma, 10% follicular carcinoma, 10% anaplastic carcinoma (ATC), and 7% NIFTP. Almost half (48%) of patients had one or more coexisting mutations, most frequently RAS. The prevalence of cancer/NIFTP was 80% for mutation with coexisting molecular alteration vs 13% with an isolated mutation (P = 0.0002). Cancer probability was associated with mutation type and was 64% for splice-site mutation and 29% for non-splice mutation (P = 0.075). All 3 nodules with EIF1AX+RAS+TERT+TP53 mutations were ATC. In summary, in this study, all nodules with an isolated non-splice mutation were benign, one-third of those with an isolated splice mutation were cancer, and most nodules with coexisting with RAS or other alterations were malignant. These findings suggest that clinical management decisions for patients with EIF1AX-mutant nodules should consider both the type of mutation and its co-occurrence with other genetic alterations.
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Search for other papers by Seungwon Kim in
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UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Search for other papers by Marina N Nikiforova in
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Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of cancer found to metastasize to the thyroid gland. These tumors may represent a diagnostic challenge in cytology. However, most RCC tumors carry VHL alterations, which are rare in primary thyroid tumors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of molecular testing in detecting metastatic RCC in thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) samples. From November 2017 until March 2022, thyroid FNA samples with ThyroSeq v3 results showing both VHL alterations and low/absent expression of thyroid cell markers were analyzed. Eighteen samples from 15 patients met the inclusion criteria. On molecular analysis, deleterious VHL mutations were found in nine (50%) nodules, VHL copy number alteration (CNA) in two (11%), and both mutations and CNA in seven (39%). None of the cases showed mutations commonly found in thyroid tumors. The mean age of these patients was 68 (range, 49–89) years with a male to female ratio of 2:1. Eight (53%) patients had multiple thyroid nodules on ultrasound. On cytology, 14 (78%) nodules were diagnosed as Bethesda III, 2 (11%) as Bethesda IV, and 2 (11%) as Bethesda V. At the time of cytology review, the history of RCC, sometimes remote, was available for ten patients. Of the 14 patients with medical history or surgical follow-up available, all had history of RCC or renal mass or revealed metastatic RCC on thyroidectomy. This study demonstrates that molecular testing can reliably identify metastatic RCC in thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology, which could improve patient management.
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Search for other papers by Alyaksandr V Nikitski in
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ALK fusions are found in various tumors, including thyroid cancer, and serve as a diagnostic marker and therapeutic target. Spectrum and outcomes of ALK fusions found in thyroid nodules and cancer are not fully characterized. We report a series of 44 ALK-translocated thyroid neoplasms, including 31 identified preoperatively in thyroid fine-needle aspirates (FNA). The average patients’ age was 43 years (range, 8–76 years); only one with radiation history. All 19 resected thyroid nodules with ALK fusion identified preoperatively were malignant. Among nodules with known surgical pathology (n = 32), 84% were papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) and 16% poorly differentiated thyroid carcinomas (PDTCs). PTCs showed infiltrative growth with follicular architecture seen exclusively (30%) or in combination with papillary and/or solid growth (37%). Tumor multifocality was seen in 10 (31%) PTC cases. Most PDTC had a well-differentiated PTC component. Lymph node metastases were identified in 10/18 (56%) patients with neck dissection. The most common ALK fusion partners were STRN (n = 22) and EML4 (n = 17). In five cases, novel ALK fusion partners were discovered. All five PDTCs carried STRN-ALK fusion. On follow-up, ten patients were free of disease at 2–108 months, whereas two patients with PDTC died of disease. In summary, ALK fusion-positive thyroid carcinomas are typically infiltrative PTC with common follicular growth, which may show tumor dedifferentiation associated with increased mortality. Compared to EML4-ALK, STRN-ALK may be more common in PDTC, and ~10% of ALK fusions occur to rare gene partners. When ALK fusion is detected preoperatively in FNA samples, malignancy should be expected.
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BRAFK601E is an uncommon mutation typically found in encapsulated follicular-patterned thyroid tumors. Previous studies on BRAFK601E-positive thyroid tumors were conducted before implementation of the non-invasive follicular neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) diagnosis. This study aimed to characterize BRAFK601E-positive tumors and evaluate changes in diagnosis and management of these patients after introduction of NIFTP. We evaluated 25 thyroid tumors that were positive for BRAFK601E and diagnosed considering the NIFTP criteria. Clinicopathologic characteristics and recurrence rates of these tumors were compared to 29 BRAFK601E-positive tumors diagnosed prior to the acceptance of NIFTP diagnosis. RNA-seq analysis was performed on 10 BRAFK601E-positive tumors. In the current study, 72% of BRAFK601E-positive tumors were diagnosed as non-invasive tumors on resection, with NIFTP (48% of all tumors) being the most common diagnosis. BRAFK601E-positive tumors exhibited a RAS-like gene expression profile with BRAF-RAS score (BRS) and thyroid differentiation score (TDS) distinct from BRAFV600E-positive tumors (P<0.001). Since 2016, patients with BRAFK601E-positive tumors less frequently underwent total thyroidectomy (41% vs 100%, P<0.001) and received radioiodine (7% vs 75%, P<0.001). None of the tumors positive for an isolated BRAFK601E mutation from the current or 2016 studies showed recurrences on follow-up. Our study demonstrates that most BRAFK601E-positive tumors are low risk, RAS-like tumors, which were diagnosed as NIFTP in half of all study cases. Since 2016, patients with BRAFK601E-positive nodules receive less aggressive treatment. The risk of recurrence of BRAFK601E-positive tumors without other, high-risk features appears to be low, and lobectomy without radioiodine is likely sufficient treatment for these patients.
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Division of Endocrinology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
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Hürthle cell carcinoma (HCC) is a distinct type of thyroid cancer genetically characterized by DNA copy number alterations (CNA), typically of genome haploidization type (GH-type). However, whether CNA also occurs in benign Hürthle cell adenomas (HCA) or Hürthle cell hyperplastic nodules (HCHN), and have diagnostic impact in fine-needle aspiration (FNA) samples, remains unknown. To address these questions, we (1) analyzed 26 HCC, 24 HCA, and 8 HCHN tissues for CNA and other mutations using ThyroSeq v3 (TSv3) next-generation sequencing panel, and (2) determined cancer rate in 111 FNA samples with CNA and known surgical outcome. We identified CNA, more often of the GH-type, in 81% of HCC and in 38% HCA, but not in HCHN. Among four HCC with distant metastasis, all had CNA and three TERT mutations. Overall, positive TSv3 results were obtained in 24 (92%) HCC, including all with ATA high risk of recurrence or metastasis. Among 111 FNA cases with CNA, 38 (34%) were malignant and 73 (66%) benign. A significant correlation between cancer rate and nodule size was observed, particularly among cases with GH-type CNA, where every additional centimeter of nodule size increased the malignancy odds by 1.9 (95% CI 1.3–2.7; P = 0.001). In summary, the results of this study demonstrate that CNA characteristic of HCC also occur in HCA, although with lower frequency, and probability of cancer in nodules with CNA increases with nodule size. Detection of CNA, in conjunction with other mutations and nodule size, is helpful in predicting malignancy in thyroid nodules.