Mutations in a cancer-related gene called RET were mainly found in certain cancers such as thyroid cancer. By analyzing large-scale DNA sequencing data from 37,056 cancer patients, we discovered RET mutations in multiple other cancers, mostly at low frequencies. In addition, we identified several novel RET mutations that can drive tumor formation, and some newly developed RET inhibitor drugs are able to effectively inhibit these RET mutations. Therefore, comprehensively charactering tumor-related RET mutations help better stratify cancer patients based on individual mutation status. Furthermore, patients with RET activating mutations could potentially benefit from the recent clinical development of RET-specific inhibitors and treat with more personalized therapeutic regimens. (By Dr. Yu Yao, https://jmg.bmj.com/content/early/2020/04/13/jmedgenet-2019-106546 )