Effects of Coexistent BRAFV600E and TERT Promoter Mutations on Poor Clinical Outcomes in Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background: The presence of a telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutation has been suggested as a potential prognostic marker for thyroid cancer, and a synergistic association with the BRAFV600E mutation has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to verify the role of this genetic duet in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Methods: Studies of the association of BRAFV600E and TERT promoter mutations with clinicopathologic features, recurrence, or PTC-related mortality were included from PubMed and Embase databases (inception to September 2016). Results: Thirteen eligible studies incorporating 4347 patients with PTC were included, and 283 (median 8.3%) of these patients had coexistent BRAFV600E and TERT promoter mutations. The coexistence of the two mutations was far more strongly associated with high-risk clinicopathologic features than either mutation alone was, including advanced TNM stage (vs. BRAFV600E: odds ratio [OR] = 4.19 [confidence interval (CI) 3.07–5.71]; vs. TERT: OR = 4.66 [C...