The timing of total thyroidectomy in RET gene mutation carriers could be personalized and safely planned on the basis of serum calcitonin: 18 years experience at one single center.

Background: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a calcitonin (CT)-producing C-cell tumor. In hereditary cases, a germline RET mutation is found in 98% of families. Because MTC is cured only if intrathyroidal, prophylactic thyroidectomy is recommended in the gene carrier (GC).

Chromosome 10 and RET gene copy number alterations in hereditary and sporadic Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.

About 30% of hereditary Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) have been demonstrated to harbour imbalance between mutant and wild-type RET alleles. We studied the RET copy number alterations (RET CNA) in 65 MTC and their correlation with RET mutation and patients' outcome. Fluorescence in situ Hybridization and Real-time PCR revealed RET CNA in 27.

Prognostic significance of somatic RET oncogene mutations in sporadic medullary thyroid cancer: a 10-year follow-up study.

Background: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a well-differentiated thyroid tumor that maintains the typical features of C cells. An advanced stage and the presence of lymph node metastases at diagnosis have been demonstrated to be the most important bad prognostic factors. Somatic RET mutations have been found in 40-50% of MTCs.