A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Anaplastic and Poorly Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Therapeutic Strategies and Treatment Outcome of 52 Consecutive Patients
Authors: Siironen P, Hagström J, Mäenpää HO, Louhimo J, Heikkilä A, Heiskanen I, Arola J, Haglund C
Publisher: KARGER
Publication year: 2010
Journal: Oncology
Journal name in source: ONCOLOGY
Journal acronym: ONCOLOGY-BASEL
Volume: 79
Issue: 5-6
First page : 400
Last page: 408
Number of pages: 9
ISSN: 0030-2414
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000322640
Abstract
Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is one of the most lethal malignancies; poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) is a new diagnosis for rare aggressive thyroid tumours. Surgery is often considered the only chance for survival, but the benefit of surgery and subsequent multimodal therapy is unclear. We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of 44 ATC and 8 PDTC consecutive patients treated at Helsinki University Central Hospital between 1990 and 2008. All ATC and PDTC cases were re-examined and reclassified histologically. Median survival was only 3.1 months for ATC, but 3.7 years for PDTC. Most patients in both groups eventually died of cancer. ATC patients were older than PDTC patients (74 vs. 66 years). Nodal and distant metastases had a negative impact on survival (ATC; p = 0.038, p = 0.008). Long-term survivors in both groups were stage N0M0 at presentation. Multimodal therapy was successful for 9 (20%) ATC patients, and their median survival was the longest (11.6 months) among treatment groups. Most PDTC patients (88%) underwent total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine ablation; the only 2 who received chemotherapy survived longest. Although ATC and PDTC are both aggressive thyroid carcinomas, multimodal therapy for both can provide a chance of prolonged survival in patients with locoregional disease. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel
Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is one of the most lethal malignancies; poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) is a new diagnosis for rare aggressive thyroid tumours. Surgery is often considered the only chance for survival, but the benefit of surgery and subsequent multimodal therapy is unclear. We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of 44 ATC and 8 PDTC consecutive patients treated at Helsinki University Central Hospital between 1990 and 2008. All ATC and PDTC cases were re-examined and reclassified histologically. Median survival was only 3.1 months for ATC, but 3.7 years for PDTC. Most patients in both groups eventually died of cancer. ATC patients were older than PDTC patients (74 vs. 66 years). Nodal and distant metastases had a negative impact on survival (ATC; p = 0.038, p = 0.008). Long-term survivors in both groups were stage N0M0 at presentation. Multimodal therapy was successful for 9 (20%) ATC patients, and their median survival was the longest (11.6 months) among treatment groups. Most PDTC patients (88%) underwent total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine ablation; the only 2 who received chemotherapy survived longest. Although ATC and PDTC are both aggressive thyroid carcinomas, multimodal therapy for both can provide a chance of prolonged survival in patients with locoregional disease. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel
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