Dedifferentiated thyroid cancer: a therapeutic challenge.
Human papillary dedifferentiated thyroid cancer (HPDTC) represents a therapeutic dilemma. Targeted therapy (RET proto-oncogene or BRAF-targeting drugs) are promising treatments for HPDTC. Also PPARg agonists are another exciting field for redifferentiating therapy of HPDTC. However, even if many new approaches for the therapy of HPDTC are emerging, until now a significant clinical impact on survival by the use of these drugs is still lacking. In the future, the identification of patients who are likely to benefit from each therapeutic option will be important. In this view particular importance should be given to development of primary cells from the single patient by fine needle aspiration samples, as recently observed in anaplastic thyroid cancer. In fact, chemosensitivity tests in primary tumoral cells may help in detecting responsive patients and in preventing the administration of inactive drugs to those unresponsive.
Antonelli
Alessandro
A
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa, School of Medicine, Via Roma, 67, I-56100 Pisa, Italy. a.antonelli@med.unipi.it
Fallahi
Poupak
P
Ferrari
Silvia Martina
SM
Carpi
Angelo
A
Berti
Piero
P
Materazzi
Gabriele
G
Minuto
Michele
M
Guastalli
Mario
M
Miccoli
Paolo
P
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000819:agonists; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D047495:PPAR gamma; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas