Prognostic implications of the BRAF-V600 mutation in papillary thyroid carcinoma based on a new cut-off age stratification.

The BRAF-V600 mutation is the most common and specific oncogenic event known in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, it remains controversial whether there is an association between the BRAF-V600 mutation and clinicopathologically aggressive characteristics of PTC. The purpose of the present retrospective study was to investigate the significance of the BRAF-V600 mutation in predicting prognostic and aggressive clinicopathological characteristics according to a new age-based stratification.