Sustained clinical responses to tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib thyroid carcinoma

Abstract

The limited therapeutic options available for patients with metastatic papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) and follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTC) necessitates the development of novel therapies. Identification of somatic rearrangements of the tyrosine kinase domain of the RET gene in PTC have improved our understanding of thyroid tumorigenesis. Sunitinib is active against the RET kinase and has both antineoplastic and antiangiogenic properties. Its role in the treatment of patients with thyroid carcinoma has yet to be evaluated in clinical trials. Two patients with progressive metastatic thyroid carcinoma (case 1: PTC, and case 2: FTC) were enroled in a phase I clinical trial to evaluate pos..