New (medical) treatment for thyroid carcinoma

Abstract

Treatment of locally advanced/metastatic thyroid cancer patients poses several challenges. The disease course can be rapidly progressive or can spontaneously remain stable over time. Periodic (3–12 months) imaging assessments are indicated. The tumor burden, location, and the pace of volume growth should be taken into account for treatment decision (Fig. 1). When small disease burden and no symptomatic/threatening lesion are present, the patient should be actively surveilled. In case of single/few threatening lesions, local treatment should be preferred. Large tumor burden and/or rapidly (<12 months) progressing disease are indicators for systemic treatments (Haugen et al. 2016). Approved (Tables 1 and 2) and investigational drugs (Table 3) for the treatment of thyroid cancer are presented in this chapter. Figure 2 shows all the cited kinase inhibitors and their targets in thyroid cancer cells and in endothelial cells.