Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Spontaneous Murine Model of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer
Published on: February 3, 2023
Distinct genetic changes characterise multifocality and diverse histological subtypes in papillary thyroid carcinoma
Lidija Jovanovic1, Brett Delahunt, Bryan McIver
1Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
Aims:
This study was undertaken to investigate the genetic factors underlying the development of multifocality and phenotypic diversity in multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (mPTC).
Methods:
Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and BRAF(V600E) mutation status were analysed in a total of 55 individual tumour foci from 18 cases of mPTC. The genetic findings and morphology of tumour foci were then compared.
Results:
Multifocal PTC LOH rates were higher than observed previously in solitary PTC. Different patterns of LOH and BRAF(V600E) positivity separated follicular variant tumours and tumour foci from other PTC histological subtypes. In five cases, genetic alterations were detected in morphologically normal thyroid epithelium.
Conclusions:
These findings support the concept that multifocal PTCs develop through clonal selection from a field of pre-neoplastic cells, with morphotype differentiation correlating with specific tumour-genetic alterations. The relatively high genetic disarray in multifocal PTC may underlie their ability to spread throughout the thyroid gland.
Related Concept Videos
Hyperthyroidism II: Pathophysiology
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase
Graves' Disease I: Introduction

