Thyroid carcinoma: Phenotypic features, underlying biology and potential relevance for targeting therapy

Abstract

Thyroid carcinoma consists a group of phenotypically heterogeneous cancers. Recent advances in biological technologies have been advancing the delineation of genetic, epigenetic, and non-genetic factors that contribute to the heterogeneities of these cancers. In this review article, we discuss new findings that are greatly improving the understanding of thyroid cancer biology and facilitating the identification of novel targets for therapeutic intervention. We review the phenotypic features of different subtypes of thyroid cancers and their underlying biology. We discuss recent discoveries in thyroid cancer heterogeneities and the critical mechanisms contributing to the heterogeneity with emphases on genetic and epigenetic factors, cancer stemness traits, and tumor micro-environments. We also discuss the potential relevance of the intratumor heterogeneity in understanding therapeutic resistance and how new findings in tumor biology can facilitate designing novel targeting therapies for thyroid cancer.