Study of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma from a proband

Abstract

Thyroid cancer is an uncommon type of cancer, accounting less than 1% of all cancers in adults, and 0.5-3% of all cancers in children. There are four different types: papillary carcinoma (80-90% of cases), follicular (5-10%), medullary (5%) and anaplastic cell (2-3%). Eighty per cent of cases of medullary thyroid cancer are sporadic, but 20% are associated with an inherited syndrome that is divided into three groups: multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. The inherited forms are caused by a disruption in the RET oncogene, which is located in the long arm of chromosome 10. A hereditary case of medullary thyroid carcinoma is presented. It was detected because of a familial genetic study. The purpose of the paper is emphasize the importance of the early diagnosis and the intervention of multidisciplinary teams of experts.