Activated RET oncogene in thyroid cancers of children from areas contaminated by Chernobyl accident

Ito T, Seyama T, Iwamoto KS, Mizuno T, Tronko ND, Komissarenko IV, Cherstovoy ED, Satow Y, Takeichi N, Dohi K, Akiyama M
Lancet 344:259, 1994

Summary

To clarify the genetic events that are involved in thyroid cancers of children residing in areas contaminated by the Chernobyl accident, inactivation of the p53, APC, MCC, and Rb tumor-suppressor genes and activation of the RET oncogene were investigated using paraffin-embedded blocks. Gene alterations of tumor-suppressor genes are detectable by polymerase chain reaction loss of heterozygosity (PCR-LOH) assays. RET oncogene activation via rearrangement can be detected by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). From a total of 19 cases, 12, 8, 13, and 7 cases were informative for the p53, APC, MCC, and Rb genes, respectively. However, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was observed in only one case. In this case, LOH of the p53 gene was observed in a poorly differentiated focus of papillary adenocarcinoma. In contrast, in 4 of 7 cases successfully analyzed using RT-PCR, RET oncogene activation via rearrangement was detected. RET oncogene activation appears to be one of the characteristic features of thyroid cancers in children residing in areas contaminated by the Chernobyl accident.