Endocrinology and oncology: closer ties will be mutually beneficial

摘要

Referral of a patient with thyroid carcinoma to an oncologist for chemotherapy often indicates a serious clinical situation, with palliation sometimes the major goal. Such a step occurs early in the care of patients with anaplastic carcinoma, as these lesions are often extremely aggressive and do not concentrate radioiodine. Referral is less common in patients with well-differentiated carcinoma, however, and usually occurs when the tumor is progressive (despite suppression of TSH levels) and no longer concentrates radioiodine.Chemotherapy with doxorubicin, administered alone or in combination with other agents, is generally used but can be associated with significant toxicity. Clearly then, new therapeutic approaches are needed for patients with progressive thyroid carcinoma.