title: Update on medullary thyroid cancer.
abstract: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare type of thyroid cancer, demonstrating variable behavior from indolent disease to highly aggressive, progressive disease. There are distinguishing phenotypic features of sporadic and hereditary MTC. Activation or overexpression of cell surface receptors and up-regulation of intracellular signaling pathways in hereditary and sporadic MTC are involved in the disease pathogenesis. There has been an exponential rise in clinical trials with investigational agents, leading to approval of 2 medications for progressive, advanced MTC. Developments in understanding the pathogenesis of MTC will hopefully lead to more effective and less toxic treatments of this rare but difficult to treat cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 1461, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Mimi I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 1461, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Anita K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 1461, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address: cjimenez@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Camilo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jimenez
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Diagnosis; MEN type 2; Medullary thyroid carcinoma; Pathophysiology; Treatment