[Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Our experience].
Anaplastic thyroid cancer ranks among the most lethal of all known human malignancies, and remains almost uniformly fatal. It represents approximately 1% of all thyroid carcinomas.


METHODS
A retrospective study was performed including all anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cases diagnosed in our institution between 1989 and 2000.


RESULTS
We collected 15 cases previously biopsied as anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Three of them were treated with a curative intention; different palliative modalities were carried out for the remaining cases. None of the cases survived more than 1 year, and the median survival time was 3.5 months.


CONCLUSIONS
This study confirms the previously known aggressiveness of this neoplasm, in which the prognosis and evolution remain to be fatal.
Sequeiros Santiago
G
G
Servicio de ORL, Hospital Central de Asturias, Oviedo. gsequeiros_orl@hotmail.com
Llorente Pendás
J L
JL
Rodrigo Tapia
J P
JP
Puente Verez
M
M
Suárez Nieto
C
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed