Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinomas: conceptual controversy and clinical impact

Andrés Coca-Pelaz; Juan P Rodrigo; Abbas Agaimy; Michelle D Williams; Nabil F Saba; Sandra Nuyts; Gregory W Randolph; Fernando López; Vincent Vander Poorten; Luiz P Kowalski; Francisco J Civantos; Mark E Zafereo; Antti A Mäkitie; Oded Cohen; Iain J Nixon; Alessandra Rinaldo; Alfio Ferlito

doi:10.1007/s00428-024-03752-5

Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinomas: conceptual controversy and clinical impact

Virchows Arch. 2024 Feb 24. doi: 10.1007/s00428-024-03752-5. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Andrés Coca-Pelaz¹, Juan P Rodrigo², Abbas Agaimy³, Michelle D Williams⁴, Nabil F Saba⁵, Sandra Nuyts^{6

7}, Gregory W Randolph⁸, Fernando López², Vincent Vander Poorten^{9

10}, Luiz P Kowalski¹¹, Francisco J Civantos¹², Mark E Zafereo¹³, Antti A Mäkitie¹⁴, Oded Cohen¹⁵, Iain J Nixon¹⁶, Alessandra Rinaldo¹⁷, Alfio Ferlito¹⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, University of Oviedo, ISPA, IUOPA, CIBERONC, Av/ Rome S/N. 33011, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. acocapelaz@yahoo.es.
² Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, University of Oviedo, ISPA, IUOPA, CIBERONC, Av/ Rome S/N. 33011, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
³ Institute of Pathology, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, University Hospital, Erlangen, Germany.
⁴ Department of Pathology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
⁵ Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, The Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁶ Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
⁷ Department of Radiation Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
⁸ Division of Thyroid and Parathyroid Endocrine Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA.
⁹ Department of Oncology, Section Head and Neck Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
¹⁰ Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
¹¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil.
¹² Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Sylvester Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
¹³ Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
¹⁵ Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital, Affiliated With Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.
¹⁶ Department of Surgery and Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
¹⁷ ENT Unit, Policlinico Città di Udine, Udine, Italy.
¹⁸ Coordinator of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group, Padua, Italy.

PMID: 38400843
DOI: 10.1007/s00428-024-03752-5

Abstract

Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinomas (PDTC) are rare diseases; nevertheless, they account for the majority of deaths from non-anaplastic follicular cell-derived thyroid carcinomas. Establishing the diagnosis and treatment of PDTC is challenging given the low incidence and the lack of standardization of diagnostic criteria. These limitations hamper the ability to compare therapeutic modalities and outcomes between recent and older studies. Recently, the 5th edition of the classification of endocrine tumors has been published, which includes changes in nomenclature and the addition of the disease entity of "differentiated high-grade follicular cell-derived carcinomas". On the other hand, the recently witnessed advances in molecular diagnostics have enriched therapeutic options and improved prognosis for patients. We herein review the various historical variations and evolution in the diagnostic criteria for PDTC. This systematic review attempts to clarify the evolution of the histological and molecular characteristics of this disease, its prognosis, as well as its treatment options.

Keywords: High-grade follicular derived thyroid carcinoma; Outcome; Poorly differentiated thyroid cancer; Radioiodine; Treatment.

Publication types

Review