Table 2. MAPK pathway, BRAF and fusion genes analysis with clinicopathology indexes.

Variables	MAPK pathwaya			Fusion genesc			BRAF mutationd		P valuesb
	YES	NO	P valuesb	YES	NO	P valuesb	YES	NO
Total	96	42		11	127		80	58
Gender			0.393			0.139			0.844
Male	26	8		5	29		19	15
Female	70	34		6	98		61	43
Age(years)			0.872			0.013			0.055
≤30	9	5		4	10		5	9
>30	86	38		7	117		75	49
Lymphatic metastasis			0.137			0.112			0.733
Metastasis	49	15		10	54		37	27
Non-metastasis	47	27		1	73		43	31
Extensive metastasise			0.276			0.025			0.648
Non-extensive	88	41		8	121		75	54
Extensive	8	1		3	6		5	4
Extraglandular invasionf			0.177			0.048			0.870
Non-invasion	58	31		4	86		54	36
Invasion	37	11		7	41		26	22
Borderg			0.842			0.172			0.513
Clearance	28	14		1	42		27	16
Obscure	67	28		10	85		53	42
Tumor size(mm)			0.258			0.003			0.673
≤10	35	22		0	55		32	23
>10	61	20		11	72		48	35
Calcificationg			0.2			0.71			0.181
Non-calcification	16	15		3	28		14	17
Calcification	79	28		8	99		66	41
Multifocal or unifocalh			0.358			0.45			0.79
Unifocal	75	36		8	103		63	48
Multifocal	21	6		3	24		17	10
Stage			0.047			0.035			0.629
Stage I,II	61	34		4	91		53	43
Stage III,IV	35	8		7	36		27	15

^a MAPK pathway concludes BRAF mutation(for example, BRAF ^V600E), any fusion genes detected of MAPK pathways and RAS, RET mutation.

^b P values derived from Fisher exact test.

^c Any fusion genes detected = yes.

^d BRAF mutation (for example, BRAF ^V600E) detected

^e Extensive metastasis referred to extensive lymphatic metastasis of neck nodes (for instance, II, III, IV and V region).

^f Border observed under ultrasound was classified into clear and obscure ones.

^g Calcification observed under ultrasound.

^h Multifocal = multi primary foci of papillary thyroid cancer.