<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><bold>Background.</bold> There is a paradigm that chemotherapy is ineffective in thyroid carcinoma. The aim of our study was to find out whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy before thyroid surgery had an effect on the size of primary tumour in patients with poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) based on Turin proposal.<bold>Patients and methods.</bold> Altogether, 13 patients (8 women, 5 men; median age 61 years) with PDTC based on Turin proposal were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 1986 and 2005. Tumour diameter was from 4.5 to 18 cm (median 9 cm). Regional and distant metastases were detected in 6 and 9 patients, respectively. Eight patients had pT4 tumour.<bold>Results.</bold> Altogether, 29 (range 1–5) cycles of chemotherapy were given. Tumour diameter decreased in all the patients and by more than 30% in 5 patients (= 38%). Two of these five patients had also preoperative external beam irradiation (EBRT). Total thyroidectomy, lobectomy and neck dissection were performed in 10, 3 and 5 cases, respectively. R0 and R1 resection was done in 5 and 8 cases, respectively. Eight patients had postoperative EBRT of the neck and upper mediastinum. The 5-year and 10-year cause-specific survival rates of patients were 66% and 20%, respectively.<bold>Conclusions.</bold> After neoadjuvant chemotherapy a partial tumour regression was observed in 38% of patients with PDTC based on Turin proposal.</abstract>

Background. There is a paradigm that chemotherapy is ineffective in thyroid carcinoma. The aim of our study was to find out whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy before thyroid surgery had an effect on the size of primary tumour in patients with poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) based on Turin proposal.Patients and methods. Altogether, 13 patients (8 women, 5 men; median age 61 years) with PDTC based on Turin proposal were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 1986 and 2005. Tumour diameter was from 4.5 to 18 cm (median 9 cm). Regional and distant metastases were detected in 6 and 9 patients, respectively. Eight patients had pT4 tumour.Results. Altogether, 29 (range 1–5) cycles of chemotherapy were given. Tumour diameter decreased in all the patients and by more than 30% in 5 patients (= 38%). Two of these five patients had also preoperative external beam irradiation (EBRT). Total thyroidectomy, lobectomy and neck dissection were performed in 10, 3 and 5 cases, respectively. R0 and R1 resection was done in 5 and 8 cases, respectively. Eight patients had postoperative EBRT of the neck and upper mediastinum. The 5-year and 10-year cause-specific survival rates of patients were 66% and 20%, respectively.Conclusions. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy a partial tumour regression was observed in 38% of patients with PDTC based on Turin proposal.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 13 patients with locally advanced poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma based on Turin proposal - a single institution experience

Department of Pathology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Radiology and Oncology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Background. There is a paradigm that chemotherapy is ineffective in thyroid carcinoma. The aim of our study was to find out whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy...

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 13 patients with locally advanced poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma based on Turin proposal - a single institution experience

Published Online: Aug 21, 2015

Page range: 271 - 278

Received: May 03, 2014

Accepted: Oct 29, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/raon-2015-0001

Keywords
poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma, neoadjuvant, chemotherapy, survival, pathology

© 2015 Nikola Besic et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 13 patients with locally advanced poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma based on Turin proposal - a single institution experience

Published Online: Aug 21, 2015

Page range: 271 - 278

Received: May 03, 2014

Accepted: Oct 29, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/raon-2015-0001

Keywordspoorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma, neoadjuvant, chemotherapy, survival, pathology

© 2015 Nikola Besic et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma, neoadjuvant, chemotherapy, survival, pathology