Thyroid Strategies for Endocrinologists-Targeted Therapies in Advanced Thyroid Cancer

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Maria Cabanillas, an oncologic endocrinologist, discussed targeted therapies in thyroid cancer during a presentation. She emphasized the importance of recognizing advanced thyroid cancers, such as anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), and the need for specialized treatment centers. Dr. Cabanillas described the use of targeted therapies, including BRAF and MEK inhibitors, for ATC with BRAF V600E mutations. She also mentioned the use of RET inhibitors for medullary thyroid cancer and differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) with RET fusions. In addition, she discussed the potential for re-differentiation therapy to restore the ability of tumors to concentrate radioactive iodine. Dr. Cabanillas explained that while these therapies have shown promising responses, long-term safety and efficacy data are still needed. She also addressed the challenges of determining when to order molecular testing and highlighted the importance of choosing the appropriate molecular test for thyroid cancer. Dr. Cabanillas concluded by discussing the need for further research on unmet needs, such as targeting other mutations and finding therapies for patients without BRAF mutations or with RAS mutations.

Keywords

Dr. Maria Cabanillas

targeted therapies

thyroid cancer

BRAF inhibitors

MEK inhibitors

RET inhibitors

re-differentiation therapy

molecular testing

RAS mutations