Thyroid cancer is among the rare cancers that do not trigger or show any symptoms in the early stages. Experts say if caught early, this slow-moving disease is curable. However, some patients can present with what is known as an anaplastic thyroid carcinoma or ATC - a rare and very aggressive tumour with a very poor prognosis.
And now, a clinical trial offers new hope to patients with a certain subtype of this tumour. Doctors from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have reported that combining cancer immunotherapy with another treatment -- targeted to a particular genetic mutation found on some ATC tumor cells -- appears to extend patient survival. “Patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma need treatments that work fast, and we saw promising results with this combination treatment approach," said Dr.
Maria Cabanillas, lead investigator and professor of endocrine neoplasia and hormonal disorders at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The study, published in the journal JAMA Oncology, said ATC tumors can differ genetically from patient to patient, and "each subtype has distinct driver mutations that can influence tumour behaviour and progression." About 40 per cent of ATC tumors have mutations in the BRAF gene that help drive the cancers' behaviour and prognosis.
The new trial focused on 42 patients battling a BRAF-mutated ATC. Eighteen of the patients received three drugs – Atezolizumab or Tecentriq - a monoclonal antib.
