Genetic Perspectives in Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer is an uncommon type of cancer, but it is one of the most common endocrine malignancies. The etiology of thyroid cancer is multifactorial, and radiation is the best documented risk factor related to the disease. Further risk factors have been hypothesized; however, we have yet to gather a wide range of information that will help us better understand the genetic mechanisms of thyroid cancer. The influence of genetics in the clinic and in therapeutics has been improved based on retrospective and prospective studies published worldwide in the last few decades, but the development of high through-put approaches has also been crucial. The new advances in high through-put methodologies such as next generation sequencing will open the door to new genetic variants that will help to clarify genotype-phenotype correlations, new gene associations, new genetic targets useful as potential biomarkers, and so on. The new decade that is now beginning may provide new evidence for the disease. "Genetic Perspectives in Thyroid Cancer" is an issue that intends to cover several topics on thyroid cancer, aiming to reach new findings based on genetic evidence in thyroid cancer as expressed in case studies, molecular approaches, and hereditary evidences, clinical and therapeutic developments.