Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) is an autosomal dominant hereditary neuroendocrine cancer syndrome characterized by medullary thyroid carcinoma, in combination or not with pheochromocytoma, hyperparathyroidism and extra-endocrine features, and two forms subtyped as MEN2A and MEN2B. Based on the correlation between RET proto-oncogene mutation and MEN2 phenotype, MEN2 could be prevented through prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic testing. Integrating the detection of RET mutation with measurement of serum calcitonin, plasma or urinary metanephrine/normetanephrine, and serum parathyroid hormone levels could accurately predict the progression of MEN2, and then facilitating implementation of personalized precision treatment. In addition, increased awareness of MEN2 is needed, which requires participation of physicians, patients/family members, and relevant organizations, supplemented by psychological support, which could promote the comprehensive management of MEN2. The "5P" strategies for MEN2 represents a paradigm of precision medicine, which could effectively avoid or reduce the clinical adverse outcomes, improve the prognosis and quality of life of MEN2 patients.
Humans ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2a/therapy* ; Quality of Life ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret/genetics* ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Thyroid Neoplasms/genetics* ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms/therapy*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the pathological characteristics and significance of RET proto-oncogene screening in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN2A) with cutaneous lichen amyloidosis (CLA). METHODS: Clinical data of 51 members from 7 unrelated pedigrees of MEN2A-CLA were collected. Systemic clinical investigations including biochemical testing, imaging examination, germline RET variant screening and histopathological examination were carried out. RESULTS: RET gene variants were detected in 28 patients with MEN2A (C634G/F/R/S/W and C611Y) including 12 males and 16 females, with the mean age of diagnosis being (41.1 ± 18.3) years old, which were consistent with their clinical manifestations. The incidence of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), pheochromocytoma (PHEO), hyperparathyroidism (HPTH) and CLA among 28 MEN2A patients were 89.3%, 28.6%, 7.1% and 28.6%, respectively. Comparison of the incidence of MTC/PHEO/HPTH and CLA between C611Y and C634G/F/R/S/W, only PHEO and CLA in C611Y were lower than those in C634G/F/R/S/W (P < 0.05; P < 0.05). Among 8 patients with CLA, the male to female ratio was 2 : 6. The clinical features included pruritus in the interscapular region and presence of dry, thickened, scaly, brown pigment, clustered or desquamate-like plaques. The mean onset age of CLA [(18.4 ± 4.6) years] versus the mean age at diagnosis of CLA or MEN2A were significantly different (P < 0.001; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION MEN2A-CLA may be the early clinical manifestation of MEN2A and most frequently occurred along with RET-C634 variant. To facilitate the recognition of MEN2A-CLA, to combine family investigation and screening of RET variant are helpful for early diagnosis and standardized treatment, which can improve the long-term outcome of MEN2A-specific tumors.
Adolescent ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms ; Adult ; Amyloidosis, Familial ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Lichens ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2a/genetics* ; Pheochromocytoma ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret/genetics* ; Skin Diseases, Genetic ; Thyroid Neoplasms/genetics* ; Young Adult

Multiple endocrine neoplasia-IIb (MEN-IIb) is a rare hereditary autosomal dominant syndrome caused by mutations in the RET proto-oncogene. It's characterized by medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), pheochromocytoma (PHEO), mucosal neuromas, and Marfanoid habitus. Because of the rarity of MEN-IIb and finiteness of clinical cognition, the majority of the patients suffer a delayed diagnosis. A MEN-IIb patient with the lingual mucosal neuromas since childhood was admitted in the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in November, 2018. He had surgical history of mitral valve prolapse and spinal deformity. He was diagnosed with MTC and PHEO at the age of 22 and 28, respectively, and received surgical treatments. Sequencing of RET gene revealed a de novo heterozygous p.M918T mutation in the patient. Being aware of the unique clinical phenotype and screening of RET gene mutation may lead to the early diagnosis and better long-term outcome for MEN-IIb.
Adrenal Gland Neoplasms ; Child ; Genes ; Humans ; Male ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2a/genetics* ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2b/genetics* ; Mutation ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret/genetics* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/genetics*

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) is an autosomal dominant hereditary disorder caused by germline mutation of the MEN1 gene. It is characterized by tumors of the anterior pituitary gland, parathyroid glands, and endocrine pancreas. Thymic carcinoid tumor is uncommon and associated with a high mortality, but its natural history has not been investigated yet. We report a case of asymptomatic MEN 1 with a thymic carcinoid tumor. A 37-year-old man underwent a routine medical checkup and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a duodenal neuroendocrine tumor (NET). Further studies showed the coexistence of pancreatic tumor, parathyroid hyperplasia, pituitary adenoma, and thymoma. The patient underwent duodenal endoscopic mucosal resection, distal pancreatectomy, subtotal parathyroidectomy, and thymectomy. The pathological test revealed a duodenal NET, pancreatic NET, parathyroid hyperplasia, and thymic carcinoid tumor. He was treated for MEN 1. We report this asymptomatic case of MEN 1 with a literature review.
Adult ; Carcinoid Tumor ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism ; Hyperplasia ; Islets of Langerhans ; Mortality ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia ; Natural History ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Pancreatectomy ; Parathyroid Glands ; Parathyroidectomy ; Pituitary Gland, Anterior ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Thymectomy ; Thymoma

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) syndrome is characterized by combined occurrence of tumors of endocrine glands including the parathyroid, the pancreatic islet cells, and the anterior pituitary gland. Parathyroid involvement is the most common manifestation and usually the first clinical involvement inMEN1 syndrome, followed by gastroentero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Here we present a case where the patient initially presented with metastatic gastric NET and a single parathyroid adenoma was detected incidentally on ⁶⁸Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT done as part of post ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE therapy (PRRT) follow-up. Further ¹⁸F-fluorocholine PET/CT showed four adenomas for which the patient subsequently underwent subtotal parathyroidectomy.
Adenoma ; Endocrine Glands ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrinoma ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism ; Islets of Langerhans ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; Parathyroidectomy ; Pituitary Gland, Anterior ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Receptors, Somatostatin ; Somatostatin

Herein, we report a case of a 19-year-old man with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B (MEN2B) and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) diagnosed when he was 12 years of age. The patient had previously undergone total thyroidectomy, cervical radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. He progressed with known bone, pulmonary, and lymph node metastases and was scanned with ¹⁸F-fluoride (¹⁸F-NaF) and ⁶⁸Ga-dotatate whole-body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for metastatic disease monitoring.We found that the MTC bone metastases and soft tissue calcified metastases were better characterized on ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT than on ⁶⁸Ga-dotatate PET/CT. This case illustrates that the ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT could be helpful not only to the detection of bone metastases but also to the detection of calcified soft tissue metastases in patients with MTC.
Drug Therapy ; Electrons ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2b ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Radiotherapy ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroidectomy ; Young Adult

In Taiwan, thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine gland malignancy and the incidence of thyroid cancer has increased four-fold in the past two decades. Fine-needle aspiration is an accurate and cost-effective method of evaluating thyroid nodules and has been the gold-standard diagnostic tool for thyroid tumors in Taiwan since the 1980s. This article reviews the history, current practice, reporting systems, training, and quality assurance for thyroid fine-needle aspiration cytology in Taiwan.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Endocrine Glands ; Incidence ; Methods ; Taiwan* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroid Nodule

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B (MEN 2B) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by medullary thyroid cancer, pheochromocytoma, neuroma and Marfanoid feature. Medullary thyroid cancer occurs in more than 95% patients of MEN 2B and increases mortality. So, the early diagnosis of multiple endocrine neoplasia is very important, because in the early diagnosed and treated medullary thyroid cancer, the prognosis is excellent. This is a case of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B that diagnosed early by conjunctival neuroma. A 15-year-old female patient was presented with both conjunctival masses that occurred 6 months ago. The excisional biopsy revealed conjunctival neuroma. The multiple endocrine tumor was suspected, further evaluation was performed. Medullary thyroid cancer was confirmed by thyroid ultrasound and fine needle aspiration. Finally, MEN type 2B was confirmed by a RET mutation genetic testing.
Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Genetic Testing ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2b* ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia* ; Neuroma* ; Pheochromocytoma ; Prognosis ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer and its incidence has continuously increased in the last three decades all over the world. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of extranodal extension (ENE) of thyroid cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE (from inception to June 2014) and EMBASE (from inception to June 2014) for English-language publication. The inclusion criteria were studies of thyroid cancer that reported the prognostic value of ENE in thyroid cancer. Reviews, abstracts, and editorial materials were excluded, and duplicate data were removed. Two authors performed the data extraction independently. RESULTS: 6 studies including 1830 patients were eligible for inclusion in the study. All patients included in the meta-analysis had papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Recurrence-free survival was analyzed based on 3 studies. The pooled hazard ratio for recurrence was 2.01 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19–3.40, p=0.009]. Disease-specific survival was analyzed based on 3 studies with 973 patients. Patients of PTC with ENE showed 3.37-fold higher risk of death from the disease (95% CI 1.55–7.32, p=0.002). CONCLUSION: ENE should be considered to be a poor prognostic marker in thyroid cancer; such knowledge might improve the management of individual patients. This might facilitate the planning of appropriate ablation therapy and tailored patient follow-up from the beginning of treatment.
Endocrine Gland Neoplasms ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Prognosis ; Publications ; Recurrence ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: To report a case of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B (MEN 2B) diagnosed early based on conjunctival neuroma. CASE SUMMARY: A 15-year-old female presented with red eye and conjunctival mass in both eyes. A 5 x 5 mm-sized yellowish conjunctival mass adjacent to the limbus was observed in her right eye and a 3 x 3 mm-sized mass in her left eye. Excisional biopsy was performed and the patient was diagnosed with conjunctival neuroma. Other abnormalities were not found on the ophthalmic examination, but she had characteristic appearances such as thickened upper eyelid, mild telecanthus and nodular edematous upper lip. She was transferred to the Endocrinology Department for systemic evaluation in consideration of multiple endocrine neoplasia. Abdominal pelvic computed tomography and a 24-hr urine collection analysis showed asymptomatic pheochromocytoma. Thyroid ultrasonography and fine-needle biopsy revealed medullary thyroid carcinoma. Finally, MEN type 2B was confirmed by using a RET mutation gene test. CONCLUSIONS: Thyroid carcinoma can occur in MEN 2B in combination with pheochromocytoma and mucosal neuroma. Thickened corneal nerve fiber and perilimbal conjunctival mass have been regarded as ophthalmologic characteristics of MEN 2B and may be accompanied by telecanthus, thickened upper eyelid and marfanoid habitus. A biopsy of the mass is required for pathological diagnosis. Medullary thyroid carcinoma is the most significant clinical component of MEN 2B syndrome and thyroidectomy is indicated. MEN 2B may be a rare syndrome, but its consequences are serious and the ophthalmologist may play a lifesaving role in its diagnosis.
Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis* ; Endocrinology ; Eyelids ; Female ; Humans ; Lip ; Male ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2b* ; Nerve Fibers ; Neuroma* ; Pheochromocytoma ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroidectomy ; Ultrasonography ; Urine Specimen Collection