Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid

Abstract

Background: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, albeit rare, is one of the most aggressive human tumors, with a dismal prognosis.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma were identified during the past 30 years to evaluate its clinicopathologic features and to document our experience in management. Potential risk factors for survival time were analyzed.

Results: The usual presentation was that of a rapidly enlarging neck mass. Distant metastases were present in 50% of patients on presentation. Palliative resection was performed in 16 patients. The median survival was 38 days, and the 2-year survival rate was 4%. Among factors analyzed, patients selected for surgical resection, absence of distant metastases at presentation, young age, and tumor size <6 cm were associated with an increased survival time. Concomitant well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma and p53 overexpression were present in 12 of the 22 and 13 of the 19 specimens, respectively.

Conclusions: Patients with anaplastic carcinoma of thyroid have a dismal prognosis heralding imminent death. Surgical ablation followed by adjuvant therapy can provide palliation for selected patients only.