Molecular basis of tumours arising from the thyroid follicular cell.

Tumours arising from the thyroid follicular cell have proven to be a very u seful model for studying the molecular genetics of tumour development. This review summarises our current knowledge of the principal abnormalities of oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes associated with the major sub-types o f thyroid tumour. The pattern which emerges demonstrates well how successiv e genetic abnormalities drive clonal progression. In addition, comparison o f follicular and papillary sub-types provides a fascinating example of how the nature of the underlying genetic abnormality may determine the clinico- pathological behaviour of the resulting tumour. The potential impact of thi s molecular data on clinical management is also discussed.