Evidence mapPaperPMID 42307992Full record

ArticleOtolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery2026

The Molecular Heterogeneity of NRAS Variants in Thyroid Nodules.

Emma De Ravin, Mohammed Alshalalfa, Ruochen Jiang, Yangyang Hao, Joshua P Klopper, Elizabeth Cottrill

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Article in Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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6 authors.

Emma De RavinDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1076-1941
Mohammed AlshalalfaVeracyte Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA.
Ruochen JiangVeracyte Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA.
Yangyang HaoVeracyte Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA.
Joshua P KlopperVeracyte Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA.
Elizabeth CottrillDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveNRAS variants are the most common mutations in thyroid nodules with (B)ethesda III/IV cytology. This study aims to characterize co-occurring variants, molecular signatures, and hallmarks of cancer pathways in nodules with NRAS variants. STUDY

designRetrospective database analysis.

methodsThe database of nodules sent for Afirma GSC testing was analyzed for the most common NRAS hotspot mutations, co-occurring mutations, BRAF-RAS score (BRS), thyroid differentiation score (TDS), ERK expression, and activity levels of hallmarks of cancer pathways.

resultsOf 87,817 Afirma GSC-suspicious or BV/VI nodules, 12.6% had NRAS mutations. Of those, 79.7% were NRAS p.Q61R and 19.4% were NRAS p.Q61K. 421 nodules (3.8%) had co-occurring mutations, EIF1AX being the most common (1%, about twice the rate seen alone). Of 872 nodules with TERT promoter mutations (TERTp), 7.8% had concurrent NRAS + TERT mutations (more than twice the rate of TERT alone). The presence of NRAS (+/- co-mutations) was highly RAS-like on the BRS score. Hallmarks of cancer pathways analyzed across NRAS+ nodules, with TERTp profiling, revealed 2 distinct clusters: one with higher inflammatory pathway activity, and another with higher DNA repair, estrogen response, and MYC activity. The latter had a higher rate of BV/VI nodules. NRASp.Q61R was equally distributed across the 2 clusters.

conclusionNRAS p.Q61R/K comprises 99% of reported NRAS variants. TERTp is the most frequent co-mutation. Among NRAS p.Q61R/K nodules, there are 2 different clusters of samples based on the activity of hallmarks of cancer pathways. Further studies correlating these clusters with clinical and pathological outcomes are necessary.

Indexed as

GTP PhosphohydrolasesMembrane ProteinsMutationThyroid NoduleHumansRetrospective StudiesTelomeraseGTP PhosphohydrolasesMembrane ProteinsNRAS protein, humanTelomerasegene expression profilingmolecular diagnostic techniquesNRAS mutationthyroid nodule

Identifiers

PMID42307992
PMCPMC13418077

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.