WEDNESDAY, April 16, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- A single genetic mistake is responsible for about two-thirds of papillary thyroid cancers.
That claim comes from a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center study in the April 16 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The finding could help scientists develop new therapies to counteract this genetic aberration.
The Hopkins researchers found a mutation of the BRAF gene in 24 of 35 samples (68 percent) of papillary thyroid cancers. The genetic error involves a subtle change in the chemical bases -- or nucleotides -- that make up the gene's DNA.
The order in which these nucleotides occur determines the information that genes communicate to cells. In the case of this BRAF gene mutation, a single coding error among more than 2,000 nucleotides in the BRAF gene causes the gene to instruct thyroid cells to continuously grow and divide, ultimately leading to cancer.
Papillary thyroid cancer accounts for about 75 percent of all thyroid cancers and occurs mostly in women.
Thyroid cancer affects about 22,000 Americans each year and accounts for about half of all head and neck cancers. The thyroid gland regulates the body's metabolism, chemical balance and hormone production.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about thyroid cancer.
