Basic Facts of NUT Carcinoma
NUT carcinoma (NC, formerly NUT midline carcinoma) is a rare and life-threatening type of cancer. It typically, but not always, affects the body’s “midline,” including the nose, mouth, sinuses, trachea, upper airways, chest, and thymus. NC occurs in both children and adults. NC is often resistant to treatment; currently the average survival from diagnosis is less than one year. NC is named for and defined by a DNA mutation of the NUT gene. In all NCs, NUT is fused to another gene, most commonly BRD4, forming the BRD4-NUT fusion oncogene. Described by our group in 2004, NC is a newly recognized disease, and awareness within the medical community remains limited. NC is under-diagnosed and its true frequency in the population is not known. An optimal approach to treating this cancer has not yet been developed. We have formed the International NUT Carcinoma Registry to increase awareness of this disease and to learn more about what causes it and how to treat it.
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