Medullary thyroid cancer causes

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ammu Susheela, M.D. [2]

Overview

Medullary thyroid cancer is caused by a mutation in the RET proto-oncogene.

Causes

Development of sporadic medullary thyroid cancer is the result of somatic mutation of RET proto-oncogene.^[1]^[2]^[3]
Hereditary form of medullary thyroid cancer is the result of germline mutation of RET proto-oncogene that are associated with MEN 2 syndromes.

Reference

↑ Thyroid Cancer Cancer.gov (2015). http://www.cancer.gov/types/thyroid/hp/thyroid-treatment-pdq#link/stoc_h2_2- Accessed on October, 29 2015
↑ Raue F (October 1998). “German medullary thyroid carcinoma/multiple endocrine neoplasia registry. German MTC/MEN Study Group. Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma/Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2”. Langenbecks Arch Surg. 383 (5): 334–6. PMID 9860226.
↑ Marsh DJ, Andrew SD, Eng C, Learoyd DL, Capes AG, Pojer R, Richardson AL, Houghton C, Mulligan LM, Ponder BA, Robinson BG (March 1996). “Germline and somatic mutations in an oncogene: RET mutations in inherited medullary thyroid carcinoma”. Cancer Res. 56 (6): 1241–3. PMID 8640806.

Overview