Dual priming oligonucleotide-based multiplex PCR analysis for detection of BRAF^V600E mutation in FNAB samples of thyroid nodules in BRAF ^V600E mutation-prevalent area

Background. To evaluate the diagnostic value of dual priming oligonucleotide (DPO) - based multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of BRAF^V600E mutations in ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (USFNAB) of thyroid nodules. Methods. Our institutional review board approved this retrospective study, and informed consent was not required from patients. The 130 patients underwent US-FNAB to evaluate BRAF status in thyroid nodules. In FNAB washouts, DPObased multiplex PCR, direct DNA sequencing, and PCR - restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) were used to detect BRAF^V600E. The diagnostic performance of these methods was calculated. We compared cytologic results by BRAF status. Results. Diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity were highest when screening with DPO-based multiplex PCR. BRAF^V600E positivity was a useful marker at thyroid nodules with "suspicious for papillary thyroid carcinoma" or " inadequate" cytological result. Conclusions. DPO-based multiplex PCR may be an alternative to direct DNA sequencing because of its high sensitivity, high accuracy, and simplicity. BRAF^V600E may be a useful additional diagnostic marker in BRAF^V600E-prevalent areas.