Identify the next term in the given series:
156, 272, 342, ?

Each term in the series can be expressed in the form of $n^2+n$ (or $n\times (n+1)$):
* $156=12^2+12=12\times 13$
* $272=16^2+16=16\times 17$
* $342=18^2+18=18\times 19$

Let's examine the sequence of the base numbers ($n$): $12,16,18,\dots$
The differences between consecutive base numbers are:

* $16-12=+4$
* $18-16=+2$

Following the alternating difference pattern ($+4,+2,+4$), the next base number will be:

$$18+4=22$$

Calculating the next term for $n=22$:

$$\text{Next term}=22^2+22=484+22=506$$