Should relatives of patients with thyroid cancer undergo any diagnostic testing?

In a case of newly diagnosed medullary thyroid cancer, it is recommended that the patient undergo genetic testing to look for evidence of specific abnormalities in a section of DNA called the RET proto-oncogene. Physicians usually perform the test by collecting a blood sample and sending it to a special laboratory where a set of sophisticated genetic tests are performed. If a specific genetic abnormality is identified, the likelihood is high that an underlying inherited disease led to the development of medullary thyroid cancer. In this situation, it is recommended that all of the patient's first degree blood relatives (parents, brothers and sisters, and children) undergo genetic testing to determine if any of them harbor the same genetic abnormality. Further testing of other family members may be required. If the initial test reveals no evidence of genetic abnormalities, the patient is considered to have sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma. In this situation the patient's relatives are not required to undergo any diagnostic testing.

In cases of newly diagnosed papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, a detailed review of family history is conducted to determine if any confirmed cases of differentiated thyroid cancer appear among the patient's first degree relatives. If no family history of this illness exists, the patient's relatives are not required to undergo any diagnostic testing.

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