Genetics of Familial Non-Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (FNMTC)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Non-medullary thyroid carcinoma (NMTC) originates from thyroid follicular epithelial cells and is considered familial when occurs in two or more first-degree relatives of the patient, in the absence of predisposing environmental factors. Familial NMTC (FNMTC) cases show a high genetic heterogeneity, thus impairing the identification of pivotal molecular changes. In the past years, linkage-based approaches identified several susceptibility loci and variants associated with NMTC risk, however only few genes have been identified. The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies has improved the discovery of new predisposing genes. In this review we report the most significant genes where variants predispose to FNMTC, with the perspective that the integration of these new molecular findings in the clinical data of patients might allow an early detection and tailored therapy of the disease, optimizing patient management. ABSTRACT: Non-medullary thyroid carcinoma (NMTC) is the most frequent endocrine tumor and originates from the follicular epithelial cells of the thyroid. Familial NMTC (FNMTC) has been defined in pedigrees where two or more first-degree relatives of the patient present the disease in absence of other predisposing environmental factors. Compared to sporadic cases, FNMTCs are often multifocal, recurring more frequently and showing an early age at onset with a worse outcome. FNMTC cases show a high degree of genetic heterogeneity, thus impairing the identification of the underlying molecular causes. Over the last two decades, many efforts in identifying the susceptibility genes in large pedigrees were carried out using linkage-based approaches and genome-wide association studies, leading to the identification of susceptibility loci and variants associated with NMTC risk. The introduction of next-generation sequencing technologies has greatly contributed to the elucidation of FNMTC predisposition, leading to the identification of novel candidate variants, shortening the time and cost of gene tests. In this review we report the most significant genes identified for the FNMTC predisposition. Integrating these new molecular findings in the clinical data of patients is fundamental for an early detection and the development of tailored therapies, in order to optimize patient management.