View Main Condition: Thyroid Cancer
Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer of the thyroid gland.
Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid
Anaplastic thyroid cancer is an invasive type of thyroid cancer that grows very rapidly. It occurs most often in people over age 60. It is more common in females than in males. The cause is unknown.
Anaplastic cancer accounts for only about less than 1% of all thyroid cancers in the United States.
Symptoms include:
This type of cancer cannot be cured by surgery. Complete removal of the thyroid gland does not prolong the lives of people who have this type of cancer.
Surgery combined with radiation therapy and chemotherapy may have a significant benefit.
Surgery to place a tube in the throat to help with breathing (tracheostomy) or in the stomach to help with eating (gastrostomy) may be needed during treatment.
For some people, enrolling in a clinical trial of new thyroid cancer treatments based on the genetic changes in the tumor may be an option.
Mark Zafereo is an Otolaryngologist in Houston, Texas. Zafereo has been practicing medicine for over 18 years and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer. He is also highly rated in 20 other conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Papillary Thyroid Cancer, Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma, and Laryngectomy. Zafereo is currently accepting new patients.
Ian Ganly is an Otolaryngologist in New York, New York. Ganly has been practicing medicine for over 34 years and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer. He is also highly rated in 35 other conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Thyroid Cancer, Tongue Cancer, Papillary Thyroid Cancer, Laryngectomy, and Tissue Biopsy. Ganly is currently accepting new patients.
Maria Cabanillas is an Endocrinologist in Houston, Texas. Cabanillas has been practicing medicine for over 25 years and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer. She is also highly rated in 7 other conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma, Papillary Thyroid Cancer, and Tissue Biopsy. Cabanillas is currently accepting new patients.
You can often ease the stress of illness by joining a support group of people sharing common experiences and problems.
The outlook with this disease is poor. Most people do not survive longer than 6 months because the disease is aggressive and there is a lack of effective treatment options.
Complications may include:
Contact your health care provider if you notice:
Summary: This phase II trial studies how well lenvatinib and pembrolizumab work in treating patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer that is stage IVB and has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) and cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable), or stage IVC that has spread to other places in the body (metastatic). Lenvatinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enz...
Summary: The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability and determine the recommended Phase 2 dose of AIC100 Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells in patients with relapsed/refractory poorly differentiated thyroid cancer and anaplastic thyroid cancer.
Published Date: January 25, 2022
Published By: Todd Gersten, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, Wellington, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Insoo S, Sosa JA. Thyroid. In: Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 37.
Iyer PC, Dadu R, Ferrarotto R, et al. Real-world experience with targeted therapy for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid. 2018; 28(1):79-87. PMID: 29161986 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29161986/.
Jonklaas J, Cooper DS. Thyroid. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 213.
National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research website. Anaplastic thyroid cancer. www.cancer.gov/pediatric-adult-rare-tumor/rare-tumors/rare-endocrine-tumor/anaplastic-thyroid-cancer. Updated February 27, 2019. Accessed June 14,2022.
Smallridge RC, Ain KB, Asa SL, et al. American Thyroid Association guidelines for management of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer. Thyroid. 2012;22(11):1104-1139. PMID: 23130564 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23130564/.