Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Anaplastic Carcinoma Management

Surgery

  • Chapter
Thyroid Cancer

  • 127 Accesses

Abstract

The treatment of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer—like the treatment of patients with papillary thyroid cancer—is controversial. The reason for the controversy is that anaplastic carcinoma is one of the most aggressive malignancies. Most patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer have poor prognosis regardless of treatment, and usually die of suffocation due to local tumor invasion; the median survival time is about 6 months (1,2) and the overall mortality rate is about 97% (1–3). At initial examination, patients usually have a large (5–10 cm) fixed mass and about 30% already have distant, usually pulmonary, metastases (4).

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

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 74.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Aldinger KA, Samaan NA, Ibanez M, Hill CS Jr. Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid: a review of 84 cases of spindle and giant cell carcinoma of the thyroid. Cancer 1978; 41: 2267–2275.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Samaan NA, Ordonez NG. Uncommon types of thyroid cancer. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 1990; 19: 637–648.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Junor EJ, Paul J, Reed NS. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: 91 patients treated by surgery and radiotherapy. Eur J Surg Oncol 1992; 18: 83–88.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Nicolosi A, Addis E, Massidda B, Malloci A, Mura E, Esu S. [Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid: our experience]. Minerva Chir 1992; 47: 1161–7.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Nel CJ, van Heerden JA, Goellner JR, Gharib H, McConahey WM, Taylor WF, Grant CS. Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid: a clinicopathologic study of 82 cases. Mayo Clinic Proc 1985; 60: 51–58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Carcangiu ML, Steeper T, Zampi G, Rosai J. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: a study of 70 cases. Am J Clin Pathol 1985; 83:135–158.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Nishiyama RH, Dunn EL, Thompson NW. Anaplastic spindle-cell and giant-cell tumors of the thyroid gland. Cancer 1972; 30: 113–127.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Cohn KH, Backdahl M, Forsslund G, Auer G, Zetterberg A, Lundell G, Granberg PO, Lowhagen T, Willems JS, Cady B. Biologic considerations and operative strategy in papillary thyroid carcinoma: arguments against the routine performance of total thyroidectomy. Surgery 1984; 96: 957–971.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Vanderlaan BFAM, Freeman JL, Tsang RW, Asa SL. The association of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma with insular or anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: evidence for dedifferentiation in tumor progression. Endocr Pathol 1993; 4: 215–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Ito T, Seyama T, Mizuno T, Tsuyama N, Hayashi T, Hayashi Y, et al. Unique association of p53 mutations with undifferentiated but not with differentiated carcinomas of the thyroid gland. Cancer Res 1992; 52: 1369–1371.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Farid NR, Shi Y, Zou M. Molecular basis of thyroid cancer. Endocr Rev 1994; 15: 202–232.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Fagin JA, Matsuo K, Karmakar A, Chen DL, Tang SH, Koeffler HP. High prevalence of mutations of the p53 gene in poorly differentiated human thyroid carcinomas. J Clin Invest 1993; 91: 179–184.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Heldin NE, Gustaysson B, Claesson-Welsh L, Hammacher A, Mark J, Heldin CH, Wester-mark B. Aberrant expression of receptors for platelet-derived growth factor in an anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cell line. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 1988; 85: 9302–9306.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Fagin JA. Tumor suppressor genes in human thyroid neoplasms: p53 mutations are associated undifferentiated thyroid cancers. J Endocrinol Invest 1995; 18: 140–142.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Williams ED. Thyroid cancer: pathologic and natural history. Recent Res Cancer Res 1980; 73: 47–55.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Baker HW. Anaplastic thyroid cancer twelve years after radioiodine therapy. Cancer 1969; 23: 885–890.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Samaan NA, Schultz PN, Haynie TP, Ordonez NG. Pulmonary metastasis of differentiated thyroid carcinoma: treatment results in 101 patients. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1985; 60: 376–380.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Levendag PC, De Porre PM, van Putten WL. Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid gland treated by radiation therapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 1993; 26: 125–128.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Tennvall J, Lundell G, Hallquist A, Wahlberg P, Wallin G, Tibblin S. Combined doxorubicin, hyperfractionated radiotherapy, and surgery in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: report on two protocols—the Swedish Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Group. Cancer 1994; 74: 1348–1354.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Schlumberger M, Parmentier C, Delisle MJ, Couette JE, Droz JP, Sarrazin D. Combination therapy for anaplastic giant cell thyroid carcinoma. Cancer 1991; 67: 564–566.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Orlo H. Clark
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, USA

    Leonard Wartofsky MD, MPH, MACP (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard) (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard)

  2. Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA

    Leonard Wartofsky MD, MPH, MACP (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard) (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard)

  3. George Washington University of Schools of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA

    Leonard Wartofsky MD, MPH, MACP (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard) (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Clark, O.H. (2000). Anaplastic Carcinoma Management. In: Wartofsky, L. (eds) Thyroid Cancer. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-199-2_36

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-199-2_36

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-6845-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-199-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation