A case report of thyroid cancer showing a remarkable effect of gefitinib.
Thyroid cancer is a common type of cancer. The most radical treatment for this type of tumor is surgical removal. Gefitinib disrupts the EGFR kinase activity. This report describes a patient with thyroid cancer who demonstrated a complete response to gefitinib. The patient was a 56-year-old woman. She had been treated for lung cancer. The lung cancer had initially disappeared following chemoradiotherapy. However, a few months later, a distant metastasis was detected on the opposite lung field. Thyroid cancer was then incidentally observed when these lesions were examined. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid tumor with ultrasonography (US) showed papillary carcinoma. Finally, all of the lesions were treated with gefitinib. Gefitinib demonstrated a remarkable effect on both the thyroid and lung lesions. The CT showed a complete resolution of the masses in the lung, neck and thyroid. The present report suggests that treatment with gefitinib is therefore an effective option for thyroid papillary carcinoma.
Matsumoto
Fumihiko
F
Department of Oto-rhino-laryngology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. fmatsu@med.juntendo.ac.jp
Itoh
Shin
S
Ohba
Shin-ichi
S
Ikeda
Katsuhisa
K
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D000077156:Gefitinib; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000175:diagnosis; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D011799:Quinazolines; D000077156:Gefitinib