5 years after the discovery of RET/PTC rearrangements in PTC, activating point mutations in the RET proto-oncogene were discovered in both hereditary and sporadic forms of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).     ///    "The diagnostic and prognostic role of the RET/PTC rearrangements in PTC is less relevant but still important in patient management, particularly for deciding if a targeted therapy should be initiated. "    ///    "For many years, it was thought that these genetic alterations only occurred in PTC, but, in the past couple of years, some RET/PTC rearrangements have been found in other human tumours. "