title: Putative BRAF activating fusion in a medullary thyroid cancer.
abstract: Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a malignancy of the calcitonin-producing parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland. Surgery is the only curative treatment for this cancer. External beam radiation therapy is reserved for adjuvant treatment of MTC with aggressive features. Targeted therapeutics vandetanib and cabozantinib are approved for the treatment of aggressive and metastatic tumors that are not amenable to surgery. The use of these multikinase inhibitors are supported by the observed overactivation of the RET oncoprotein in a large subpopulation of MTCs. However, not all patients carry oncogenic alterations of this kinase. Hence, there is still a need for comprehensive molecular characterization of MTC utilizing whole-genome and transcriptome-sequencing methodologies with the aim of identifying targetable mutations. Here, we describe the genomic profiles of two medullary thyroid cancers and report the presence of a putative oncogenic BRAF fusion in one. Such alterations, previously observed in other malignancies and known targets of available drugs, can benefit patients who currently have no treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4S6, Canada;
authors.forename: Katayoon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasaian
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, St. Paul's Hospital and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 1Y6, Canada;
authors.forename: Sam M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Wiseman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, St. Paul's Hospital and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 1Y6, Canada;
authors.forename: Blair A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4S6, Canada;
authors.forename: Jacqueline E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schein
authors.affiliation: Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4S6, Canada;
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirst
authors.affiliation: Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4S6, Canada;
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4S6, Canada;
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Mungall
authors.affiliation: Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4S6, Canada;; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada;
authors.forename: Marco A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Marra
authors.affiliation: Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4S6, Canada;; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada;; Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: Steven J M
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jones
keywords: medullary thyroid carcinoma; neoplasm of the endocrine system