| Summary: | The presence of <i>TERT</i> promoter (<i>TERT</i>p) mutations in thyroid cancer have been associated with worse prognosis features, whereas the extent and meaning of the expression and activation of <i>TERT</i> in thyroid tumours is still largely unknown. We analysed frozen samples from a series of benign and malignant thyroid tumours, displaying non-aggressive features and low mutational burden in order to evaluate the presence of <i>TERT</i>p mutations and <i>TERT</i> mRNA expression in these settings. In this series, <i>TERT</i>p mutations were found in 2%, only in malignant cases, in larger cancers, and from older patients. <i>TERT</i> mRNA expression was detected in both benign and malignant tumours, with increased frequencies in the malignant tumours with aggressive histotypes, larger tumours, and from older patients. In benign tumours, <i>TERT</i> mRNA expression was found in 17% of the follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA) with increased levels of expression in smaller tumours and associated with the presence of thyroiditis. <i>TERT</i>p mutations and <i>TERT</i> mRNA expression are correlated with worse prognosis features in malignant thyroid tumours, whereas <i>TERT</i> mRNA expression in the benign tumours is associated with the presence of thyroiditis.
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