Skip to main content

A Case of Fistula After Adjuvant External Beam Radiotherapy and Lenvatinib for High-Risk Follicular Thyroid Cancer

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

We present a 60-year-old man with recurrent follicular thyroid cancer (initially staged pT4aN0M0) with multiple high-risk features including poorly differentiated histology with insular component, extrathyroidal extension with involvement of the cricoid, trachea and esophagus, and recurrence after prior radioactive iodine treatment. He underwent extensive surgical resection including total laryngectomy, bilateral neck dissection, tracheal shave resection, and cricopharyngeal myotomy. A tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) was performed with placement of a voice prosthesis. He was treated with adjuvant external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to the neck. Subsequent systemic therapies included the antiangiogenic multi-kinase inhibitors lenvatinib and pazopanib. Over time, he developed a tracheoesophageal fistula requiring multiple surgical interventions, enteral feeding, and therapy changes. In this case report, we discuss risk factors for fistularization including TEP prosthesis, adjuvant EBRT, and antiangiogenic therapy, and we discuss strategies to minimize and manage treatment-related toxicities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Romesser PB, et al. External beam radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy in advanced or recurrent non-anaplastic non-medullary thyroid cancer. J Surg Oncol. 2014;110:375–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/jso.23656.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Chow S-M, et al. Papillary thyroid carcinoma: prognostic factors and the role of radioiodine and external radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2002;52:784–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Terezakis SA, et al. Role of external beam radiotherapy in patients with advanced or recurrent nonanaplastic thyroid cancer: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center experience. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2009;73:795–801.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Schwartz DL, et al. Postoperative external beam radiotherapy for differentiated thyroid cancer: outcomes and morbidity with conformal treatment. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2009;74:1083–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Azrif M, Slevin NJ, Sykes AJ, Swindell R, Yap BK. Patterns of relapse following radiotherapy for differentiated thyroid cancer: implication for target volume delineation. Radiother Oncol. 2008;89:105–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Keum KC, et al. The role of postoperative external-beam radiotherapy in the management of patients with papillary thyroid cancer invading the trachea. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2006;65:474–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Chow S-M, Yau S, Kwan C-K, Poon PCM, Law SCK. Local and regional control in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma: specific indications of external radiotherapy and radioactive iodine according to T and N categories in AJCC 6th edition. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2006;13:1159. https://doi.org/10.1677/erc.1.01320.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Cooper DS, et al. Revised American Thyroid Association management guidelines for patients with thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer: the American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines taskforce on thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer. Thyroid. 2009;19:1167–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Kiess AP, et al. External-beam radiotherapy for differentiated thyroid cancer locoregional control: a statement of the American Head and Neck Society. Head Neck. 2016;38:493–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Bentzen SM. Preventing or reducing late side effects of radiation therapy: radiobiology meets molecular pathology. Nat Rev Cancer. 2006;6:702–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Fleckenstein K, et al. Temporal onset of hypoxia and oxidative stress after pulmonary irradiation. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2007;68:196–204.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Brierley JD, Giuliani ME. Practical management of thyroid cancer. Cham: Springer; 2018. p. 147–52.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  13. Rosenbluth BD, et al. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for the treatment of nonanaplastic thyroid cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2005;63:1419–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Beckham TH, et al. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy in nonanaplastic thyroid cancer with unresectable or gross residual disease. Thyroid. 2018;28:1180–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Brierley JD, Tsang RW. External beam radiation therapy for thyroid cancer. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2008;37:497–509, xi. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecl.2008.02.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Capdevila J, et al. Optimisation of treatment with lenvatinib in radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer. Cancer Treat Rev. 2018;69:164–76.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Schmidt A, Iglesias L, Klain M, Pitoia F, Schlumberger MJ. Radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer: an uncommon but challenging situation. Arch Endocrinol Metabol. 2017;61:81–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Schlumberger M, et al. Definition and management of radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer. Lancet Diabet Endocrinol. 2014;2:356–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kim SY, et al. Safety of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer: real-world use of lenvatinib and sorafenib in Korea. Front Endocrinol. 2019;10:384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Schlumberger M, et al. A phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of lenvatinib (E7080) in patients with 131I-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer. 2014. https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/jco.2014.32.18_suppl.lba6008.

  21. Qi WX, Shen Z, Tang LN, Yao Y. Congestive heart failure risk in cancer patients treated with vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 36 clinical trials. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;78:748–62.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Steingart RM, et al. Management of cardiac toxicity in patients receiving vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway inhibitors. Am Heart J. 2012;163:156–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Blevins DP, et al. Aerodigestive fistula formation as a rare side effect of antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy for thyroid cancer. Thyroid. 2014;24:918–22. https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2012.0598.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Dewey EH, et al. Reconstruction of expanding tracheoesophageal fistulae in post-radiation therapy patients who undergo total laryngectomy with a bipaddled radial forearm free flap: report of 8 cases. Head Neck. 2016;38:E172–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.23966.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Pawar P, Sayed S, Kazi R, Jagade M. Current status and future prospects in prosthetic voice rehabilitation following laryngectomy. J Cancer Res Ther. 2008;4:186–91. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1482.44289.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Cavalot AL, et al. Pharyngocutaneous fistula as a complication of total laryngectomy: review of the literature and analysis of case records. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000;123:587–92. https://doi.org/10.1067/mhn.2000.110617.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Iyer PC, et al. Salvage pembrolizumab added to kinase inhibitor therapy for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. J Immunother Cancer. 2018;6:68. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40425-018-0378-y.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. https://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT04211337.

  29. https://ClinicalTrials.gov/show/NCT04194944.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ana P. Kiess .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Kut, C., Liang, A., Kiess, A.P. (2021). A Case of Fistula After Adjuvant External Beam Radiotherapy and Lenvatinib for High-Risk Follicular Thyroid Cancer. In: Grani, G., Cooper, D.S., Durante, C. (eds) Thyroid Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61919-0_28

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61919-0_28

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-61918-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-61919-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics