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Review
. 2025 Jul 3;14(4):e240369.
doi: 10.1530/ETJ-24-0369. Print 2025 Aug 1.

TSHR in thyroid cancer: bridging biological insights to targeted strategies

Shaojie Xu, Youyun Peng, Xingyin Li, Hanning Li, Ting Liu, Xingrui Li, Yaying Du
Review

TSHR in thyroid cancer: bridging biological insights to targeted strategies

Shaojie Xu et al. Eur Thyroid J. .

Abstract

Traditionally, thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) has been utilized primarily to increase the efficacy of radioactive iodine therapy by promoting iodine uptake. However, the rise of personalized medicine has prompted reassessment of the potential of TSHR as a therapeutic target. Recent studies have indicated that TSHR plays a critical role in the progression of thyroid cancer and may serve as a key target for the treatment of residual or metastatic thyroid cancers, particularly radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAIR-DTC). This review focuses on the biological characteristics of TSHR and its potential as a therapeutic target, emphasizing that optimizing TSHR-targeted drugs and integrating them with existing treatment strategies could offer new therapeutic avenues for patients with RAIR-DTC.

Keywords: TSHR; differentiated thyroid cancer; radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer; targeted strategies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the work reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Signaling pathways mediated by TSHR.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Overview of TSHR-targeted therapeutic strategies, including cell therapy, radioiodine sensitization, and nanomaterials.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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