Involvement of RET oncogene in human tumours: specificity of RET activation to thyroid tumours
1993
RET Oncogene Activation in Thyroid Tumors
Sample size: 558
publication
Evidence: high
Author Information
Author(s): M. Santoro, N. Sabino, Y. Ishizaka, T. Ushijima, F. Carlomagno, A. Cerrato, M. Grieco, C. Battaglia, M.L. Martelli, C. Paulin, N. Fabien, T. Sugimura, A. Fusco, M. Nagao
Hypothesis
Is RET activation specific to thyroid tumors compared to non-thyroid tumors?
Conclusion
RET activation is a molecular event linked only to thyroid neoplasias.
Supporting Evidence
- None of the 528 non-thyroid tumors showed rearrangement of the RET proto-oncogene.
- Three out of 30 thyroid papillary carcinomas were positive for RET activation.
- RET activation is restricted to carcinomas of the papillary histotype.
Takeaway
The study found that the RET gene is often activated in thyroid tumors but not in other types of tumors.
Methodology
Southern blot analysis and RT-PCR were used to analyze genomic DNA from tumor samples.
Limitations
Some tumors were examined with a limited number of samples, making it difficult to draw statistically significant conclusions.
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