Endocrine Abstracts

Context: Initial studies reported that RET rearrangements, RAS mutations and BRAF mutation are mutually exclusive genetic events in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Subsequently, simultaneous occurrence of BRAF mutation and RET/PTC or H4-PTEN has been described in few PTC cases, indicating that these genetic alterations might coexist in PTC in the same cell or in different cells, at least sporadically. In light of the recent finding that frequently BRAF mutation is present o...

Context: Although unexplained conflicting results are present in the literature, most of studies report the association of BRAFV600E in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with a more advanced disease and with a worst prognosis. We recently demonstrated that in most of the cases PTC consists of a mixture of tumour cells with wild-type and mutant BRAF. Hence, we examined the association of percentage of BRAFV600E alleles with clinicopathologic parameters at diagnosis and disease ...

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are potentially malignant lesions originating from the enterochromaffin cells of the GI tract. These neoplasms often produce characteristic hormonal syndromes and can cause debilitating symptoms. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a well-established, complex, endoscopic technique, which allows for full resection of the mucosal and submucosal lesions without the need for open surgery.M...

Background: Although small bowel (SB) neuroendocrine tumours (SBNETs) often present as indolent lesions, late diagnosis may result in poor outcomes. Successful management is therefore dependent on early identification. Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) enables direct SB mucosal visualisation, sampling and endotherapy. Our aim was to evaluate the role of DBE for early diagnosis and management of SBNETs.Methods: Retrospective review of all SBNETs diagnosed/...