Forty-nine patients with metastatic nonanaplastic thyroid carcinoma were treated over a 10-year period. Five successive chemotherapeutic protocols were used: a combination of doxorubicin, etoposide, 5-fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide; elliptinium acetate; doxorubicin; cisplatin; and the combination of doxorubicin and cisplatin. Results obtained with the different protocols were very disappointing, with only two objective responses (3%). Phase II trials with new chemotherapeutic agents are warranted in selected cases of nonanaplastic metastatic thyroid carcinoma.