Study Sheds Light on Mutations That Turn Thyroid Cancers Malignant

The recipient of an MD from the Grant Government Medical College, Mumbai, Dr. Rajiv Datta serves as the chairman of South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Department of Surgery. Dr. Rajiv Datta began his career in surgical oncology as a research fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), a leading medical institution for the treatment of various cancers.

Apart from the curative aspect of care, MSKCC is also known for its role in enriching research literature to further our understanding of cancers. Recently, an MSKCC-sponsored study shed light on the mutations responsible for transforming benign thyroid tumors into aggressively malignant cancers.

In conducting the study, the research team, led by head and neck surgeon Dr. Ian Ganly, used a genomic sequencing test to look at over 450 gene mutations that play significant roles in the development of various cancers. What they found was surprising: two genomes that were not usually associated with thyroid cancer, MED12 and RBM10, posed high incidence rates among those who developed malignancies. 

The findings imply that patients with benign thyroid tumors who are found to be carriers of this gene might need more aggressive treatment. Moreover, knowledge of these mutations’ role in thyroid cancer virulence may become a guide in the development of new drugs in the future.