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Few reports have determined whether preoperative detection of the BRAF V600E mutation in fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) may influence determination of surgical extent such as prophylactic central lymph node dissection (CLND) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Our objectives were to investigate whether preoperative BRAF analysis may assist determination of surgical extent, including prophylactic CLND with variable clinicopathological risk factors for central lymph node metastasis, in patients with PTC and clinically node-negative neck.

From July 2009 to May 2011, we prospectively enrolled 148 PTC patients with clinically node-negative neck who received a total thyroidectomy and prophylactic CLND. BRAF mutation by pyrosequencing was tested on preoperative FNAB specimens. The …