Phase II study of the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib for anaplastic thyroid cancer (HOPE)

The efficacy and safety of antiangiogenesis tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with advanced anaplastic thyroid cancer: A meta-analysis of prospective studies

BACKGROUND

The poor prognosis of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) patients is associated with limited effective therapeutic strategies. Multiple antiangiogenesis tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been applied in later-line treatment of ATC; however, the results reported in clinical trials were controversial. In this study, we reconstructed the patient-level data to pooled-analyze the survival data, responses, and adverse events.

METHODS

Online databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL) were searched on September 03, 2023. R software combined with the "metaSurvival" and "meta" packages were used to reconstruct the survival curves and summarize the response rates. The primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints were survival rate, objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and treatment-related adverse events.

RESULTS

Six prospective clinical trials involving 140 ATC patients were enrolled. Four types of TKIs (imatinib, pazopanib, sorafenib, and lenvatinib) were included. When advanced ATC patients were treated with the TKIs, the median OS was 4.8 months and the median PFS was 2.6 months. The pooled ORR and DCR were 9% and 53%. Hypertension, decreased appetite, rash, and lymphopenia were the most common grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events.

CONCLUSION

Mono-anitangiogenesis TKI therapy showed limited improvements in treating advanced ATC patients. Combining antiangiogenesis TKI therapy with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or immunotherapy could be the direction of future studies.

Comprehensive genomic profiling from C-CAT database unveiled over 80% presence of oncogenic drivers in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma including BRAF, RAS family, NF1, and FGFR1

OBJECTIVE

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is considered a very aggressive carcinoma and has been difficult to treat with therapeutic strategies. This study examines the landscape of genomic alteration in ATC, including the BRAF V600E mutation, and its clinical implications.

DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MESUREMENT

A retrospective observational study was conducted using collected at the Center for Cancer Genomics and Advanced Therapeutics (C-CAT) in Japan, utilizing comprehensive genomic profiling data from 102 ATC cases. Additionally, AACR-GENIE data from 267 cases were analysed for validation. Statistical methods, including the conditional Kendall tau statistic and χ2 tests, were employed for survival analysis and gene mutation comparisons.

RESULTS

Among 102 ATCs, BRAF, RAS, and other driver mutations were found in 83 cases (81.2%). The prevalence of BRAF V600E mutations was as high as 60%. Co-mutation analysis identified different genomic profiles in the BRAF, RAS, and wild-type groups. Despite the diverse molecular backgrounds, no significant differences in clinical variables and overall survival were observed. The analysis considering left-side amputation suggested that RAS mutations had a poorer prognosis. In the BRAF/RAS wild-type group, FGFR1 and NF1 were identified as driver mutations, with an accumulation of copy number variations and less TERT promoter mutations. This molecular subgrouping was also supported by the AACR-GENIE data.

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive genomic analysis of ATC in Japan revealed distinct molecular subgroups, highlighting the importance of BRAF V600E mutations, particularly V600E, as potential therapeutic targets and suggest the relevance of tailor-made therapeutic strategies based on genomic profiling.

Clinical impact of a dose-escalation strategy for lenvatinib in differentiated thyroid cancer

BACKGROUND

 Treatment options for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) who experience disease progression on lenvatinib treatment are limited. Although dose escalation of treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors at disease progression has been reported across cancer types, clinical significance in patients with DTC has not been investigated.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed patients with DTC who experienced disease progression on lenvatinib treatment from September 2011 to June 2022. We compared subjects who received dose-escalation treatment with standard treatment of termination at the time of initial disease progression. The escalated dose was decided by referencing to the previous effective and tolerated dose.

RESULTS

Thirty-three patients were identified, 15 with dose escalation and 18 with lenvatinib termination. In both groups, the starting dose of lenvatinib was 24 mg/day, and the median dose at initial disease progression was 10 mg/day. In the former, the median dose escalation was 6 mg/day (range: 4-12). Objective response rate, clinical benefit rate by escalation, and median treatment duration of the dose-escalation phase were 13.3%, 73.3%, and 9.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.71-27.6), respectively. Median overall survival from initial disease progression was significantly longer in the dose-escalation group (median OS: 20.4 months [95% CI 7.0-NA] vs. 3.9 months [95% CI 1.7-7.9], log-rank p-value; 0.0004, hazard ratio; 0.22 [95% CI 0.09-0.55]). There were no grade 5 adverse events, and one patient discontinued due to a grade 3 lung abscess.

CONCLUSION

The dose-escalation strategy appears to be a safe and effective treatment option after disease progression in patients treated with lenvatinib for DTC.

Recent Trends and Potential of Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a rare but highly aggressive malignancy characterized by advanced disease at diagnosis and a poor prognosis. Despite multimodal therapeutic approaches that include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, an optimal treatment strategy remains elusive. Current developments in targeted therapies and immunotherapy offer promising avenues for improved outcomes, particularly for BRAF-mutant patients. However, challenges remain regarding overcoming drug resistance and developing effective treatments for BRAF-wild-type tumors. This comprehensive review examines the clinical and biological features of ATC, outlines the current standards of care, and discusses recent developments with a focus on the evolving role of radiotherapy. Moreover, it emphasizes the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach and highlights the urgent need for further research to better understand ATC pathogenesis and identify new therapeutic targets. Collaborative efforts, including large-scale clinical trials, are essential for translating these findings into improved patient outcomes.

A Phase 2 Study of Encorafenib in Combination with Binimetinib in Patients with Metastatic BRAF-Mutated Thyroid Cancer in Japan

Background: Driver mutations at BRAF V600 are frequently identified in papillary thyroid cancer and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), in which BRAF inhibitors have shown clinical effectiveness. This Japanese phase 2 study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a BRAF inhibitor, encorafenib, combined with an MEK inhibitor, binimetinib, in patients with BRAF V600-mutated thyroid cancer. Methods: This phase 2, open-label, uncontrolled study was conducted at 10 institutions targeted patients with BRAF V600-mutated locally advanced or distant metastatic thyroid cancer not amenable to curative treatment who became refractory/intolerant to ≥1 previous vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-targeted regimen(s) or were considered ineligible for those. The primary endpoint was centrally assessed objective response rate (ORR). The secondary endpoints included duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. Results: We enrolled 22 patients with BRAFV600E-mutated thyroid cancer: 17 had differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), and 5 had ATC. At data cutoff (October 26, 2022), the median follow-up was 11.5 (range = 3.4-19.0) months. The primary endpoint of centrally assessed ORR was 54.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 32.2-75.6; partial response in 12 patients and stable disease in 10). The ORRs in patients with DTC and ATC were 47.1% (8 of 17) and 80.0% (4 of 5), respectively. The medians for DOR and PFS by central assessment and for OS were not reached in the overall population, the DTC subgroup, or the ATC subgroup. At 12 months, the rate of ongoing response was 90.9%, and the PFS and OS rates were 78.8% and 81.8%, respectively. All patients developed ≥1 adverse events (AEs): grade 3 AEs in 6 patients (27.3%). No patients developed grade 4-5 AEs. The most common grade 3 AE was lipase increased (4 patients [18.2%]). Those toxicities were mostly manageable with appropriate monitoring and dose adjustment. Conclusions: Treatment with encorafenib plus binimetinib met the primary endpoint criteria and demonstrated clinical benefit in patients with BRAFV600E-mutated thyroid cancer regardless of its histological type, such as DTC or ATC, with no new safety concerns identified. Encorafenib plus binimetinib could thus be a new treatment option for BRAF V600-mutated thyroid cancer. Clinical Trial Registration number: Japan Registry of Clinical Trials: jRCT2011200018.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with advanced anaplastic thyroid cancer: an effective analysis based on real-world retrospective studies

Background

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) contribute to the treatment of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC). Although prospective clinical studies of TKIs exhibit limited efficacy, whether ATC patients benefit from TKI treatment in real-world clinical practice may enlighten future explorations. Therefore, we conducted this effective analysis based on real-world retrospective studies to illustrate the efficacy of TKI treatment in ATC patients.

Methods

We systematically searched the online databases on September 03, 2023. Survival curves were collected and reconstructed to summarize the pooled curves. Responses were analyzed by using the "meta" package. The primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR).

Results

12 studies involving 227 patients were enrolled in the study. Therapeutic strategies included: anlotinib, lenvatinib, dabrafenib plus trametinib, vemurafenib, pembrolizumab plus dabrafenib and trametinib, pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib, pembrolizumab plus trametinib, and sorafenib. The pooled median OS and PFS were 6.37 months (95% CI 4.19-10.33) and 5.50 months (95% CI 2.17-12.03). The integrated ORR and DCR were 32% (95% CI 23%-41%) and 40% (95% CI 12%-74%).

Conclusion

In real-world clinical practice, ATC patients could benefit from TKI therapy. In future studies, more basic experiments and clinical explorations are needed to enhance the effects of TKIs in the treatment of patients with ATC.

Genetic landscape of 482 thyroid carcinomas: analysis with the national datacenter for cancer genomic medicine in Japan

PURPOSE

Comprehensive genomic profiling is useful for patients with Thyroid carcinoma (TC) for whom standard treatment has become refractory. We analyzed the clinical and genomic characteristics of patients with TC using the Japanese nationwide Center for Cancer Genomics and Advanced Therapeutics (C-CAT) database.

METHODS

This retrospective observational study used the data obtained from the C-CAT database. Genomic information has been accumulated on representative gene mutations associated with TC.

RESULTS

Among the 482 patients, 212 (44%) were male and 270 (56%) were female. According to histological type, 259 (54%), 46 (10%), 16 (3%), 51 (11%), and 110 (23%) patients had papillary TC (PTC), follicular TC, medullary TC, poorly differentiated TC, and anaplastic TC (ATC), respectively. Among the genomic profiling tests, FoundationOne CDx (n = 388; 80%) was the most frequently performed. The frequencies of BRAF, NRAS, HRAS, KRAS, and RET mutations were 259 (54%), 62 (13%), 13 (3%), 16 (3%), and 12 (2%), respectively. The BRAF V600E mutation (n = 257) was the predominant BRAF mutation. TERT promoter mutations, which are associated with tumor aggressiveness, were detected in 308 patients (64%).

CONCLUSIONS

PTC was the most common histologic type of TC for which genetic profiling was performed in Japan, followed by ATC. Since the most common targetable mutation is the BRAF mutation, practical application of BRAF-targeted therapy can be an important treatment option for Japanese patients with TC.

Advances in the management of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: transforming a life-threatening condition into a potentially treatable disease

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is an infrequent thyroid tumor that usually occurs in elderly patients. There is often a history of previous differentiated thyroid cancer suggesting a biological progression. It is clinically characterized by a locally invasive cervical mass of rapid onset. Metastases are found at diagnosis in 50% of patients. Due to its adverse prognosis, a prompt diagnosis is crucial. In patients with unresectable or metastatic disease, multimodal therapy (chemotherapy and external beam radiotherapy) has yielded poor outcomes with 12-month overall survival of less than 20%. Recently, significant progress has been made in understanding the oncogenic pathways of ATC, leading to the identification of BRAF V600E mutations as the driver oncogene in nearly 40% of cases. The combination of the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib (D) and MEK inhibitor trametinib (T) showed outstanding response rates in BRAF-mutated ATC and is now considered the standard of care in this setting. Recently, it was shown that neoadjuvant use of DT followed by surgery achieved 24-month overall survival rates of 80%. Although these approaches have changed the management of ATC, effective therapies are still needed for patients with BRAF wild-type ATC, and high-quality evidence is lacking for most aspects of this neoplasia. Additionally, in real-world settings, timely access to multidisciplinary care, molecular testing, and targeted therapies continues to be a challenge. Health policies are warranted to ensure specialized treatment for ATC.The expanding knowledge of ATC´s molecular biology, in addition to the ongoing clinical trials provides hope for the development of further therapeutic options.

Global scientific trends on thyroid disease in early 21st century: a bibliometric and visualized analysis

Background

Bibliometrics has been used to analyze the literature in the field of thyroid disease studies in the early 21st century, indicating the changes in current international study trends.

Methods

In this study, a bibliometric analysis of data retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database was conducted, and the publication trends and thematic evolution in the field of thyroid disease research from January 1, 2000, to November 16, 2022, were analyzed. A total of 69283 articles related to thyroid diseases were evaluated for their characteristics, including annual publication volume, countries, journals, institutions, authors, keywords, and references. VOSviewer was utilized to perform the analysis of co-authorship, co-citation, co-occurrence and descriptive.

Results

The annual publication volume of thyroid disease research literature showed a fluctuating upward trend from 2000 to 2021, exceeding 5,000 articles for the first time in 2021. The United States (16120 counts, 678255 cities) ranks first in terms of publication volume and citation. Thyroid (n=3201) and Journal of Clinical Endocrinology&Metabolism (n=140399) are the most prolific and cited journals, respectively. The organization with the highest publication volume and citation frequency is Harvard University (1011 counts, 59429 cities), Miyauchi Akira (n=422), Schlumberger, and Martin (n=24839) possess the highest publication volume and citation frequency, respectively. Co-occurrence analysis of 307 keywords with frequencies of more than 20 resulted in 6 clusters (1): Thyroid dysfunction and diseases (2); mechanism of occurrence and development of thyroid cancer (3); autoimmune thyroiditis (4); scope and postoperative management of thyroid surgery (5); fine needle aspiration of thyroid nodules (6); radioactive iodine therapy for thyroid cancer. Active monitoring, thermal ablation, Lenvatinib, and long noncoding RNA refer to the latest keywords. Discussing the six clusters helps scholars to determine the scope and direction of studies.

Conclusion

Over the past two decades, the literature related to thyroid diseases has increased year by year, with closer collaboration between countries, institutions, and authors. In this study, the global trends, research hotspots, emerging subjects, and basic knowledge of literature related to thyroid diseases were respectively elucidated, which will facilitate researchers in this field to seek better development.

Nanotechnological Advancements for the Theranostic Intervention in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer: Current Perspectives and Future Direction

Anaplastic thyroid cancer is the rarest, most aggressive, and undifferentiated class of thyroid cancer, accounting for nearly forty percent of all thyroid cancer-related deaths. It is caused by alterations in many cellular pathways like MAPK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, ALK, Wnt activation, and TP53 inactivation. Although many treatment strategies, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy, have been proposed to treat anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, they are usually accompanied by concerns such as resistance, which may lead to the lethality of the patient. The emerging nanotechnology-based approaches cater the purposes such as targeted drug delivery and modulation in drug release patterns based on internal or external stimuli, leading to an increase in drug concentration at the site of the action that gives the required therapeutic action as well as modulation in diagnostic intervention with the help of dye property materials. Nanotechnological platforms like liposomes, micelles, dendrimers, exosomes, and various nanoparticles are available and are of high research interest for therapeutic intervention in anaplastic thyroid cancer. The pro gression of the disease can also be traced by using magnetic probes or radio-labeled probes and quantum dots that serve as a diagnostic intervention in anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Harnessing Immunity to Treat Advanced Thyroid Cancer

The incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) has increased over the past 30 years. Although differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) has a good prognosis in most patients undergoing total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine therapy (RAI), 5-10% of patients develop metastasis. Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) has a low survival rate and few effective treatments have been available to date. Recently, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been successfully applied to RAI-resistant or non-responsive TC to suppress the disease. However, TC eventually develops resistance to TKIs. Immunotherapy is a promising treatment for TC, the majority of which is considered an immune-hot malignancy. Immune suppression by TC cells and immune-suppressing cells, including tumor-associated macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and regulatory T cells, is complex and dynamic. Negative immune checkpoints, cytokines, vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF), and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) suppress antitumor T cells. Basic and translational advances in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), molecule-targeted therapy, tumor-specific immunotherapy, and their combinations have enabled us to overcome immune suppression and activate antitumor immune cells. This review summarizes current findings regarding the immune microenvironment, immunosuppression, immunological targets, and immunotherapy for TC and highlights the potential efficacy of immunotherapy.

Recent advances in anaplastic thyroid cancer management

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To summarize recent developments in the diagnosis and management of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC).

RECENT FINDINGS

An updated edition of the Classification of Endocrine and Neuroendocrine Tumors was released by the World Health Organization (WHO), in which squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid are now a subtype of ATC. Broader access to next generation sequencing has allowed better understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving ATC and improved prognostication. BRAF-targeted therapies revolutionized the treatment of advanced/metastatic BRAFV600E -mutated ATC, offering significant clinical benefit and allowing better locoregional control of disease through the neoadjuvant approach. However, inevitable development of resistance mechanisms represents a major challenge. Addition of immunotherapy to BRAF/MEK inhibition has shown very promising results and significant improvement in survival outcomes.

SUMMARY

Major advancements took place in the characterization and management of ATC in recent years, especially in patients with a BRAF V600E mutation. Still, no curative treatment is available, and options are limited once resistance to currently available BRAF-targeted therapies develops. Additionally, there is still a need for more effective treatments for patients without a BRAF mutation.

Outcome of initial lenvatinib treatment in patients with unresectable anaplastic thyroid cancer

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a very rare disease with a poor prognosis and with no established effective drug therapy. The present study aimed to report the outcomes of lenvatinib single-agent therapy as an initial drug treatment in ATC, and to investigate its safety and efficacy. This retrospective cohort study included 56 patients with unresectable primary ATC, of whom 36 were treated with lenvatinib and 12 with weekly paclitaxel, and 8 patients who refused any drug treatment who received palliative care. The average survival in the lenvatinib group was 5.8 months, which was significantly longer than 2.0 months in the paclitaxel group (P=0.005). The efficacy of lenvatinib in the 36 patients with ATC, whose primary tumors were unresectable, was evaluated. The response rate was 33% and the median overall survival time was 5.0 months. A safety review indicated that lenvatinib should be used under the careful observation of local findings. Two patients, who showed a reduction with lenvatinib, underwent conversion surgery, which prolonged the prognosis in terms of avoiding events, such as asphyxia, fistula and hemorrhage due to tumor growth; however, the surgical margins were positive, indicating that complete remission was impossible even if surgical resection was performed. Therefore, starting with lenvatinib treatment and identifying a therapeutic drug based on genomic analysis is an acceptable treatment strategy for ATC while halting the disease progression.

Targeted therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma microenvironment

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) originates from the squamous epithelium of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx. HNSCC in the oral cavity and larynx is strongly associated with tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption, while oropharyngeal cancer is increasingly attributed to infection by human papillomavirus (HPV), particularly HPV-16. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex network of cancer cells, immune cells, stromal cells, surrounding blood vessels, and signaling molecules, and plays a critical role in tumor cell survival, invasion, and recurrence. Therefore, it is critical to elucidate the molecular basis of the interaction between tumor cells and the TME in order to develop innovative anti-cancer therapeutic strategies.

Molecular basis and targeted therapy in thyroid cancer: Progress and opportunities

Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most prevalent endocrine malignant tumor. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy are the standard TC treatment modalities. However, recurrence or tumor metastasis remains the main challenge in the management of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) and radioiodine (RAI) radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC). Several multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (MKIs), or immune checkpoint inhibitors in combination with MKIs, have emerged as novel therapies for controlling the progression of DTC, medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), and ATC. Here, we discuss and summarize the molecular basis of TC, review molecularly targeted therapeutic drugs in clinical research, and explore potentially novel molecular therapeutic targets. We focused on the evaluation of current and recently emerging tyrosine kinase inhibitors approved for systemic therapy for TC, including lenvatinib, sorafenib and cabozantinib in DTC, vandetanib, cabozantinib, and RET-specific inhibitor (selpercatinib and pralsetinib) in MTC, combination dabrafenib with trametinib in ATC. In addition, we also discuss promising treatments that are in clinical trials and may be incorporated into clinical practice in the future, briefly describe the resistance mechanisms of targeted therapies, emphasizing that personalized medicine is critical to the design of second-line therapies.

Crosstalk between Thyroid Carcinoma and Tumor-Correlated Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment

Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common malignancy in the endocrine system. Although most TC can achieve a desirable prognosis, some refractory thyroid carcinomas, including radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer, as well as anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, face a myriad of difficulties in clinical treatment. These types of tumors contribute to the majority of TC deaths due to limited initial therapy, recurrence, and metastasis of the tumor and tumor resistance to current clinically targeted drugs, which ultimately lead to treatment failure. At present, a growing number of studies have demonstrated crosstalk between TC and tumor-associated immune cells, which affects tumor deterioration and metastasis through distinct signal transduction or receptor activation. Current immunotherapy focuses primarily on cutting off the interaction between tumor cells and immune cells. Since the advent of immunotherapy, scholars have discovered targets for TC immunotherapy, which also provides new strategies for TC treatment. This review methodically and intensively summarizes the current understanding and mechanism of the crosstalk between distinct types of TC and immune cells, as well as potential immunotherapy strategies and clinical research results in the area of the tumor immune microenvironment. We aim to explore the current research advances to formulate better individualized treatment strategies for TC patients and to provide clues and references for the study of potential immune checkpoints and the development of immunotherapy technologies.

Targeted therapy with vemurafenib in BRAF(V600E)-mutated anaplastic thyroid cancer

BACKGROUND

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies, representing less than 5% of all thyroid carcinomas. Τhe median survival is limited to months due to the resistance of ATC to surgery, radioiodine therapy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This review will cover novel agents involving several cellular signaling pathways including the BRAF pathway. The BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib improves survival among patients with metastatic melanoma, hairy-cell leukemia and intracranial neoplasms with BRAF gene mutations. The frequency of a BRAF (V600E) mutation in ATC is about 25%.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report the first case of a marked partial response to adjuvant first line monotherapy with vemurafenib in BRAF V600E-mutated ATC. The 78-year-old man showed a sustained response for 7 months, thereafter scans revealed progressive disease and the patient died 10 months after first diagnosis. This case report is accompanied by a comprehensive review of current strategies and tools for ATC treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

This case and the review of current data confirm the benefit of BRAF inhibition in BRAF-mutated ATC, limited by acquired resistance to targeted therapy.

Targeted therapy for head and neck cancer: signaling pathways and clinical studies

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is malignant, genetically complex and difficult to treat and is the sixth most frequent cancer, with tobacco, alcohol and human papillomavirus being major risk factors. Based on epigenetic data, HNC is remarkably heterogeneous, and treatment remains challenging. There is a lack of significant improvement in survival and quality of life in patients with HNC. Over half of HNC patients experience locoregional recurrence or distal metastasis despite the current multiple traditional therapeutic strategies and immunotherapy. In addition, resistance to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and some targeted therapies is common. Therefore, it is urgent to explore more effective and tolerable targeted therapies to improve the clinical outcomes of HNC patients. Recent targeted therapy studies have focused on identifying promising biomarkers and developing more effective targeted therapies. A well understanding of the pathogenesis of HNC contributes to learning more about its inner association, which provides novel insight into the development of small molecule inhibitors. In this review, we summarized the vital signaling pathways and discussed the current potential therapeutic targets against critical molecules in HNC, as well as presenting preclinical animal models and ongoing or completed clinical studies about targeted therapy, which may contribute to a more favorable prognosis of HNC. Targeted therapy in combination with other therapies and its limitations were also discussed.

Targeted Therapy for Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma: Advances and Management

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare and highly fatal cancer with the worst prognosis of all thyroid carcinoma (TC) histological subtypes and no standard treatment. In recent years, the explosion of investigations on ATC-targeted agents has provided a new treatment strategy for this malignant condition, and a review of these studies is warranted. We conducted a comprehensive literature search for ATC-targeted drug studies and compiled a summary of their efficacy and adverse effects (AEs) to provide new insights. Multiple clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of dabrafenib in combination with trametinib for the treatment of ATC, but vemurafenib and NTRK inhibitors showed limited clinical responses. We found that the previously valued therapeutic effect of lenvatinib may be unsatisfactory; combining tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors (TKIs) with other agents results in a higher rate of clinical benefit. In addition, specific medications, including RET inhibitors, mTOR inhibitors, CDK4/6 inhibitors, and Combretastatin A4-phosphate (CA4P), offer tremendous therapeutic potential. The AEs reported for all agents are relatively numerous but largely manageable clinically. More clinical trials are expected to further confirm the effectiveness and safety of these targeted drugs for ATC.

Rationale Efficacy and Safety Evidence of Lenvatinib and Pembrolizumab Association in Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) are highly aggressive malignant tumors with poor overall prognosis despite multimodal therapy. As ATC are extremely rare, no randomized controlled study has been published for metastatic disease. Thyrosine kinase inhibitors, especially lenvatinib and immune checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab, are emerging drugs for ATC. Few studies have reported the efficacity of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib association, resulting in its frequent off-label use. In this review, we discuss rationale efficacy and safety evidence for the association of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab in ATC. First, we discuss preclinical rationale for pembrolizumab monotherapy, lenvatinib monotherapy and synergistic action of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib in the metastatic setting. We also discuss clinical evidence for immunotherapy and pembrolizumab in ATC through the analysis of studies evaluating immunotherapy, lenvatinib and pembrolizumab lenvatinib association in ATC. In addition, we discuss the safety of this association and potential predictive biomarkers of efficiency.