A patient undergoes total thyroidectomy for a mass lesion of the thyroid. During the surgery, the surgeon notes that the parathyroid glands appeared enlarged. The thyroid lesion shows neuroendocrine-type cells and amyloid deposition. This patient's thyroid and parathyroid lesions may be related to which of the following oncogenes?
High-Yield Explanation
The thyroid lesion is medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. The coexistence of parathyroid hyperplasia suggests Sipple's syndrome (MEN II). These patients also tend to develop pheochromocytoma. Both MEN II and MEN III are associated with the ret oncogene.Associate bcl-2 with follicular and undifferentiated lymphomas.Associate C-myc with Burkitt's lymphoma.Associate erb-B2 with breast, ovarian, and gastric carcinomas. Ref: Busaidy N.L., Habra M.A., Vassilopoulou-Sellin R. (2011). Chapter 38. Endocrine Malignancies. In H.M. Kantarjian, R.A. Wolff, C.A. Koller (Eds), The MD Anderson Manual of Medical Oncology, 2e.