open access
Medullary thyroid carcinoma: from molecular studies to clinical decision
open access
Abstract
In MEN2B inherited cancer reveals its symptoms quickly and shows dynamic progress. In MEN2A/FMTC the clinical picture is diversified – in some patients the course of disease is mild, however in some other cases the progression of disease and even death occur regardless of the proper treatment. Unfortunately, there are no molecular prognostic markers in medullary thyroid carcinoma.
Recent papers and also our own unpublished results show that gene expression profile, is similar in MEN2A and sporadic cancer. This group differs from MEN2B by its expression profile.
In conclusion it is to be emphasized that although inherited medullary thyroid carcinoma is a rare disease, the diagnostic algorithm is well established and maximizes the chance for early diagnosis. Moreover, it needs to be stressed that DNA analysis results inform us not only about the necessity of further therapy, but also suggest different ways of proceeding in particular type of mutation.
Abstract
In MEN2B inherited cancer reveals its symptoms quickly and shows dynamic progress. In MEN2A/FMTC the clinical picture is diversified – in some patients the course of disease is mild, however in some other cases the progression of disease and even death occur regardless of the proper treatment. Unfortunately, there are no molecular prognostic markers in medullary thyroid carcinoma.
Recent papers and also our own unpublished results show that gene expression profile, is similar in MEN2A and sporadic cancer. This group differs from MEN2B by its expression profile.
In conclusion it is to be emphasized that although inherited medullary thyroid carcinoma is a rare disease, the diagnostic algorithm is well established and maximizes the chance for early diagnosis. Moreover, it needs to be stressed that DNA analysis results inform us not only about the necessity of further therapy, but also suggest different ways of proceeding in particular type of mutation.
Keywords
medullary thyroid carcinoma; protooncogene RET mutations; prophylactic thyroidectomy
Title
Medullary thyroid carcinoma: from molecular studies to clinical decision
Journal
Issue
Article type
Other materials agreed with the Editors
Pages
362-369
Published online
2006-03-24
Page views
591
Article views/downloads
1685
Bibliographic record
Endokrynol Pol 2005;56(3):362-369.
Keywords
medullary thyroid carcinoma
protooncogene RET mutations
prophylactic thyroidectomy
Authors
Jan Włoch
Małgorzata Oczko-Wojciechowska
Sylwia Szpak-Ulczok
Barbara Jarząb