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Kim C, Agarwal S, Bychkov A, Hang JF, Harahap AS, Hirokawa M, Kakudo K, Keelawat S, Liu CY, Liu Z, Nguyen TPX, Rana C, Vuong HG, Zhu Y, Jung CK. Differentiating BRAF V600E- and RAS-like alterations in encapsulated follicular patterned tumors through histologic features: a validation study. Virchows Arch 2024; 484:645-656. [PMID: 38366204 DOI: 10.1007/s00428-024-03761-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Differentiating BRAF V600E- and RAS-altered encapsulated follicular-patterned thyroid tumors based on morphology remains challenging. This study aimed to validate an 8-score scale nuclear scoring system and investigate the importance of nuclear pseudoinclusions (NPIs) in aiding this differentiation. A cohort of 44 encapsulated follicular-patterned tumors with varying degrees of nuclear atypia and confirmed BRAF V600E or RAS alterations was studied. Nuclear parameters (area, diameter, and optical density) were analyzed using a deep learning model. Twelve pathologists from eight Asian countries visually assessed 22 cases after excluding the cases with any papillae. Eight nuclear features were applied, yielding a semi-quantitative score from 0 to 24. A threshold score of 14 was used to distinguish between RAS- and BRAF V600E-altered tumors. BRAF V600E-altered tumors typically demonstrated higher nuclear scores and notable morphometric alterations. Specifically, the nuclear area and diameter were significantly larger, and nuclear optical density was much lower compared to RAS-altered tumors. Observer accuracy varied, with two pathologists correctly identifying genotype of all cases. Observers were categorized into proficiency groups, with the highest group maintaining consistent accuracy across both evaluation methods. The lower group showed a significant improvement in accuracy upon utilizing the 8-score scale nuclear scoring system, with notably increased sensitivity and negative predictive value in BRAF V600E tumor detection. BRAF V600E-altered tumors had higher median total nuclear scores. Detailed reevaluation revealed NPIs in all BRAF V600E-altered cases, but in only 2 of 14 RAS-altered cases. These results could significantly assist pathologists, particularly those not specializing in thyroid pathology, in making a more accurate diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chankyung Kim
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, SA Pathology, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Shipra Agarwal
- Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Andrey Bychkov
- Department of Pathology, Kameda Medical Center, Kamogawa City, Chiba 296-8602, Japan
| | - Jen-Fan Hang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Agnes Stephanie Harahap
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia - Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | | | - Kennichi Kakudo
- Department of Pathology and Thyroid Disease Center, Izumi City General Hospital, Izumi, Japan
| | - Somboon Keelawat
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chih-Yi Liu
- Division of Pathology, Sijhih Cathay General Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Zhiyan Liu
- Department of Pathology, Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Chanchal Rana
- Department of Pathology, King George Medical University, Lucknow, India
| | - Huy Gia Vuong
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Yun Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, China
| | - Chan Kwon Jung
- Department of Hospital Pathology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
- College of Medicine, Cancer Research Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
- Department of Pathology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea.
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