Early and Precursor Lesions in Endocrine Pathology: Innocent Lambs or Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing?

U Classical histopathology consisting of careful observation and interpretation is still an important cornerstone for diagnosis and patient management. Papillary microcarcinomas and C-cell hyperplasia in the thyroid gland, microadenomatosis in the pancreas and adrenomedullary hyperplasia in the adrenal have thus been identified. With the exception of the first entity, the majority (but not all) of these lesions occur in the context of hereditary syndromes, but we may be biased because these patients are monitored more closely. Thus, it is not clear whether non-syndrome-related cases harbor the same genetic abnormalities and follow the same clinical course as their syndromic counterparts.