Melanin-producing medullary thyroid carcinoma with transformation to melanoma: A case report.

Only one case of melanoma arising from melanin-producing medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) has been reported previously. In the present study, a second such case was reported and compared with the previous one. The patient was an 86-year-old male who presented with a right anterior neck mass.

Biological differential diagnosis of follicular thyroid tumor and Hürthle cell tumor on the basis of telomere length and hTERT expression.

Background: The most difficult thyroid tumors to diagnose by histology are follicular carcinomas (FTCs) and Hürthle cell carcinomas (HCCs). Telomere alteration and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression have been observed in most human cancers and are known to be a feature of malignancy. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether hTERT protein expression and telomere alteration could be applicable biological markers for distinguishing FTC from HCC.

Amplification of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 gene in differentiated thyroid cancer correlates with telomere shortening.

The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) proto-oncogene plays an important role in the development and progression of breast and gastric cancer. Monitoring of the HER2 status and treatment with trastuzumab was performed initially in breast cancer, and subsequently in gastric cancer. However, the HER2 status of thyroid cancer remains unexplored.