Clinical impact of molecular analysis on thyroid cancer management

Abstract

Thyroid cancer constitutes a progressive continuum of disease ranging from indolent well-differentiated carcinomas to aggressive poorly differentiated carcinomas and universally fatal anaplastic carcinomas. The wide divergence in clinical behavior is poorly predicted for by current clinicopathological factors. Moreover, therapeutic armentarium against aggressive thyroid cancers remains limited. Recent studies have identified a range of molecular alterations in thyroid cancers. Clinical implications of the molecular alterations include their utility in diagnostic evaluation, staging and targeted treatment. Continued molecular analysis of thyroid cancers promises to increase our understanding of its biologic behavior and is expected to have further impact on its clinical management.