title: High prevalence of RET proto-oncogene activation (RET/PTC) in papillary thyroid carcinomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The activation of RET proto-oncogene, through different types of chromosomal translocation and inversion, is unique to papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) and its frequency is variable in different populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and types of PTC genetic rearrangements in papillary carcinoma in a population of Hong Kong Chinese.
  
  
  METHODS
  The presence of RET/PTC1, RET/PTC2 and RET/PTC3 activation was analyzed by RT-PCR in twenty PTC from adult patients (age range 24-63 years), one PTC from a 12-year-old boy and anaplastic carcinomas in two adult patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RET/PTC3 was the only activation of RET proto-oncogene identified in the samples. Seventeen PTC from adult patients (85%t) were positive for RET/PTC3. RET/PTC3 was also identified in PTC from the child and one of the two patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of RET/PTC activation in PTC is high and RET/PTC3 is the only type of activation identified in Hong Kong Chinese and is an important genetic event underlying the development of PTC in the population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology, School of Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: King Yin
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Chung Yau
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Po Sing
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C416649:Ret protein, Drosophila