Abstract
Unlike most other carcinomas arising from the follicular cell of the thyroid, medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a malignancy with neuroendocrine features, derived from the parafollicular C cell, which is of ectodermal neural crest origin. In most studies, MTC represents 3–12% of thyroid cancers, the majority of which are sporadic. However, in approximately 25–30% of cases, MTC is inherited, and is associated with one of three familial syndromes: multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) syndrome type 2A, MEN type 2B, and familial MTC (Table 10.1). In contrast to sporadic cases of MTC, germline RET proto-oncogene mutations are often detected in inherited cases, which may facilitate early diagnosis.
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Clark, D.P., Faquin, W.C. (2010). Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma. In: Thyroid Cytopathology. Essentials in Cytopathology, vol 8. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5954-6_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5954-6_10
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