Molecular diagnosis and targeted treatment of advanced follicular cell-derived thyroid cancer in the precision medicine era

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy, accounting for 3% of all cancers diagnosed annually worldwide [1]. Thyroid cancers can originate from two types of endocrine cells: parafollicular C cells and follicular thyroid cells. Cancers derived from parafollicular C cells are termed medullary thyroid cancers (MTCs) and make up a small proportion of thyroid cancers (2 –3%) [2]. Follicular cell-derived thyroid malignancies account for most thyroid tumours and may be subdivided into: follicular thyroid cancer (FTC; 6–10% of all thyroid cancers); papillary thyroid cancer (PTC; accounting for 65–93% of all thyroid cancers); poorly differentiated thyroid cancer (PDTC; 0.3–6.7% of all cases); Hürthle cell cancers and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC; the rarest, but most aggressive type of the follicular cell-derived malignancies) [3].
Source: Cancer Treatment Reviews - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research