Abstract
Undifferentiated (anaplastic) thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a highly malignant tumor that histologically appears wholly or partially composed of undifferentiated cells that exhibit immunohistochemical or ultrastructural features indicative of epithelial differentiation.
In older literature, synonyms such as “spindle and giant cell carcinoma,” “sarcomatoid carcinoma,” “pleomorphic carcinoma,” “dedifferentiated carcinoma,” “metaplastic carcinoma,” or “carcinosarcoma” are used to describe this very aggressive and lethal tumor, leading to death within a few months in most of the patients.
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Asari, R., Scheuba, C., Niederle, B. (2012). Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma. In: Oertli, D., Udelsman, R. (eds) Surgery of the Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23459-0_19
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