BRAF addiction of thyroid cancers makes them therapeutically vulnerable
Monday, November 21, 2011 - 13:00
in Health & Medicine
Papillary carcinoma is the most common form of thyroid cancer. Approximately one quarter of these carcinomas have mutations in the BRAF gene. The prevalence of such mutations is even greater in high-grade carcinomas, particularly those that are refractory to standard treatment, which is radioactive iodine (RAI). A team of researchers led by James Fagin, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, has now identified a way to potentially exploit the expression of BRAF by such cancers for therapeutic purposes.