The mutations were spread across 13 driver genes (e.g., BRAF, RET, TP53) and 18 non-driver genes (e.g., CHEK2, ATM, BRCA1), identifying mutations in BRAF (i.e., BRAFV600E), TERT and RET as more frequently associated in cancer tissues than benign nodules, and highly associated with lymph node metastasis. Here, CHEK2 is linked to metastatic malignant neoplasm in the lymph nodes.