ANALYSIS OF ADENOMATOUS POLYPOSIS-COLI GENE IN THYROID-TUMORS

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is known to be associated with ne oplasia of various tissues, including thyroid carcinoma. Germline muta tions of the tumour-suppressor gene APC, responsible for the predispos ition to FAP, may therefore be involved in the pathogenesis of these t umours. In this report the structure of the APC gene has been investig ated in 26 thyroid tumours, at different stages of dedifferentiation, that were surgically excised from patients with a negative history of FAP. Approximately 35% of the APC gene coding region, where most of th e mutations are clustered, has been analysed by a combination of singl e-strand conformation polymorphism and direct sequencing. No significa nt alterations could be demonstrated in any sample examined. It is con cluded that, at least in patients not affected by FAP, APC gene abnorm alities do not seem to play a relevant role in the pathogenesis of thy roid carcinoma.