['The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of the expression of the RET oncogene (rearranged during transfection) in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) and its variants in the differential diagnosis of thyroid neoplasias. According to the literature RET oncogene activation by chromosomal rearrangements has been exclusively implicated in PTCs.', 'To establish the incidence of RET activation in PTCs we used 5- to 10-microm sections from archival paraffin blocks. Either parts of the tissue slices were manually dissected or a few distinct cells were microdissected by laser-mediated manipulation with the Robot-MicroBeam system. RNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded thyroid tumors and the corresponding normal tissue. RT and nested PCR were performed using primers for RET/PTC1, PTC2 and PTC3, or for RET exons 12 and 13. PCR products were resolved by gel electrophoresis.', 'We detected RET transcription in approximately 85% of the PTCs including follicular variants and in isolated cells of the same tissues, but not in nonmalignant thyroid tissue.'] Is diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma facilitated by using an RT-PCR approach on laser-microdissected archival material to detect RET oncogene activation?