Survival in Response to Multimodal Therapy in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

• Published in: The journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism Vol. 102; no. 12; pp. 4506 - 4514
• Main Authors: Prasongsook, Naiyarat, Kumar, Aditi, Chintakuntlawar, Ashish V, Foote, Robert L, Kasperbauer, Jan, Molina, Julian, Garces, Yolanda, Ma, Daniel, Wittich, Michelle A Neben, Rubin, Joseph, Richardson, Ronald, Morris, John, Hay, Ian, Fatourechi, Vahab, McIver, Bryan, Ryder, Mabel, Thompson, Geoffrey, Grant, Clive, Richards, Melanie, Sebo, Thomas J, Rivera, Michael, Suman, Vera, Jenkins, Sarah M, Smallridge, Robert C, Bible, Keith C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Endocrine Society 01.12.2017; Copyright Oxford University Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Carcinoma - drug therapy; Carcinoma - radiotherapy; Carcinoma - therapy; Chemoradiotherapy; Cohort Studies; Combined Modality Therapy; Disease-Free Survival; Female; Health risk assessment; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Male; Middle Aged; Palliative Care; Patients; Retrospective Studies; Survival; Survival Analysis; Therapeutic applications; Thyroid cancer; Thyroid Neoplasms - drug therapy; Thyroid Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Thyroid Neoplasms - therapy; Thyroidectomy; Toxicity; Treatment Outcome
• DOI: 10.1210/jc.2017-01180
• ISSN: 0021-972X

Abstract Context Historical outcomes in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) have been dismal. Objective To determine whether an initial intensive multimodal therapy (MMT) is associated with improved ATC survival. Design MMT was offered to all patients with newly diagnosed ATC treated at the Mayo Clinic from 2003 through 2015; MMT vs care with palliative intent (PI) was individualized considering clinical status and patient preferences. Outcomes were retrospectively analyzed by American Joint Committee on Cancer stage and treatments compared with patient cohort data from 1949 through 1999. Patients Forty-eight patients (60% male; median age, 62 years); 18 treated with PI, 30 with MMT. Main Outcome Measure Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival determined by Kaplan-Meier method. Results Median OS and 1-year survival for the later cohort were 9 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 4 to 22 months] and 42% (95% CI, 28% to 56%) vs 3 months and 10% for the earlier cohort. Median OS was 21 months compared with 3.9 months in the pooled MMT vs PI groups for the later cohort [hazard ratio (HR), 0.32; P = 0.0006]. Among only patients in the later cohort who had stage IVB disease, median OS was 22.4 vs 4 months (HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.44; P = 0.0001), with 68% vs 0% alive at 1 year (MMT vs PI). Among patients with stage IVC cancer, OS did not differ by therapy. Conclusion MMT appears to convey longer survival in ATC among patients with stage IVA/B disease. Intensive multimodal therapy appears to convey improved survival among patients with stage IVA/B ATC and should be considered among those accepting of substantial therapy-related toxicities.