Thyroid fine-needle aspiration: the relevance of BRAF mutation testing

The manuscript ‘‘Additional BRAF mutation analysis may add additional diagnostic value in thyroid nodules with suspicion of malignant cytology alone even when the nodules do not show suspicious US features’’ [1] pointed out that some nodules, which were not considered suspicious on the ultrasound scan, can be potentially malignant. Moreover, the authors performed the V600E-BRAF test on the samples which were diagnosed in cytology as at variance with undetermined significance/follicular lesion (AUS/FLUS), to prove it. This study proves that nodules which are not suspicious on the ultrasound scan cannot reassure the clinician, altogether. Therefore, it is always necessary to check carefully all the thyroid nodules. The V600E-BRAF tests advantage is that it helps the cytopathologist to diagnose the papillary carcinoma and the follicular variant. The V600-Braf mutation is considered a specific marker of the thyroid papillary carcinoma. Concerning the role of mutation on the management of thyroid nodules, many studies have been published with no definitive conclusion. Therefore, it would be valuable to research this topic in more detail so as to clearly define the role of the V600 Braf test when performed on Fine-needle cytology. What is the role of V600E-BRAF mutation on Thyroid FNC?