title: [Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid: long-term survival].
abstract: Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid is a highly aggressive neoplasm with quickly total course. It is characterized by an average survival of 4-12 months. It infiltrates precociously into the windpipe, oesophagus, vessels of the neck and gives distant metastases in 10-48% of cases. In 30.8 to 80% of cases, this carcinoma originates in an old multinodular goiter. The hypothesis has been also advanced that this neoplasm could derive from a pre-existent well-differentiated carcinoma. The improvement in diagnostic techniques (especially immunohistochemistry) allows a more correct definition of this neoplasm, permitting a differential diagnosis with other tumours (lymphoma, medullary carcinoma, hemangioblastoma) with which in the past it has been erroneously identified. The results reported in the literature are controversial as regards long-term survival, but usually it is less than one year. Longer survival must lead to the suspicion of wrong diagnosis. A relatively better prognosis is observable in intraglandular forms, "minimi" neoplastic focus and young patients. The presence of regional metastatic lymph nodes doesn't seem to modify the prognosis. Instead, a factor which can condition the prognosis is the type of therapy. Now a days the most efficacious curative treatment is the multinodal one (surgery, radio- and chemotherapy). The best results about survival and quality of life have been obtained using chemo-radiotherapy before operation and chemotherapy after it.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Patologia Chirurgica III, Università degli Studi di Catania.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cannizzaro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Maria
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fazzi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazzone
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terminella
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fiorenza
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Veroux
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D013997:Time Factors
vernacular_title: Il carcinoma anaplastico della tiroide: sopravvivenza a distanza.