Contribution of the BRAF oncogene in the pre-operative phase of thyroid carcinoma.

Numerous experiments have been conducted over the last few years aiming to identify molecular markers that show the diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspiration (FNA), particularly in thyroid lesions that are considered indeterminate. Using certain search arguments and previously defined criteria, 37 studies reporting experiments with the BRAF mutation in pre-operative FNA of the thyroid were selected from the electronic databases PUBMED, MEDLINE, SCOPUS and LILACS, in order to gather evidence with regard to the possible contribution of BRAF in the management of thyroid carcinoma. There were no cases positive for BRAF in follicular carcinomas (FTCs), Hürthle cell carcinomas (HCCs) or medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTCs).

Use of molecular markers in samples obtained from preoperative aspiration of thyroid.

Several experiments have been carried out in order to find molecular markers that increase the diagnose accuracy of the Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA), especially for thyroid lesions of undetermined significance. The growing number of published experiments on one or more of the different types of markers has started to justify the need to gather the pieces of information as a way to add evidence and guide the development of future research in the area. From the search arguments and criteria previously defined, 95 articles were selected from the electronic databases PUBMED, MEDLINE, SCOPUS and LILACS.