Chromosomal aberrations by comparative genomic hybridization in thyroid tumors in patients with familial nonmedullary thyroid cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Nonmedullary thyroid cancer is the most common form of thyroid cancer and its familial form (FNMTC) is increasingly recognized as a distinct clinical entity. However, the genetic background of FNMTC is still poorly understood and the causative gene(s) have not yet been identified.


METHODS
Because comparative genomic hybridization allows for screening of the entire tumor genome simultaneously for chromosomal gains and/or losses without prior knowledge of potential aberrations, we used this technique in thyroid normal and neoplastic samples from FNMTC patients (1) to analyze whether chromosomal aberrations would correlate with inheritance pattern, and/or clinicopathologic features and (2) to compare comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) findings in familial tumors with those already known in sporadic differentiated thyroid cancers.


RESULTS
No common germline or somatic chromosomal aberrations were observed in patients with FNMTC because the frequencies and most locations of chromosomal aberrations in familial tumors were also common in sporadic tumors. However, some somatic aberrations were only found in familial tumors (gains in 2q, 3q, 18p, and 19p). Common aberrations in familial tumors corresponded to several locations of candidate genes already reported for sporadic thyroid tumorigenesis.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that chromosomal aberrations in thyroid tumors in patients with FNMTC are not related to inheritance pattern but rather to tumorigenesis.
Brunaud
Laurent
L
Endocrine Surgical Oncology Fellow, University of California San Francisco UCSF/Mount Zion Medical Center, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.
Zarnegar
Rasa
R
Wada
Nobuyuki
N
Magrane
Gregg
G
Wong
Mariwil
M
Duh
Quan-Yang
QY
Davis
Orrin
O
Clark
Orlo H
OH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology