• International journal of thyroidology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2017

Anaplastic transformation of differentiated thyroid cancer at distant metastatic sites is extremely rare and has a poor prognosis. It usually occurs in the thyroid gland or cervical lymph nodes. Here we report a case of anaplastic transformation arising at multiple distant metastatic sites including the lung, liver, adrenal gland, bone, and lymph nodes in a patient 3 years after total thyroidectomy for follicular thyroid cancer.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.56-58
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• 2001

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, which is one of the most aggressive tumors of the thyroid, has been seldomly reposted to have altered thyroid function. There have been few reports of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer presenting in a hyperthyroid state. In the literatures, the mechanism of hyperthyroidism in anaplastic thyroid cancer is supposed that the rapid invasive growth of cancer seems to cause destruction of thyroid tissue and develops a hyperthyroid state, which is thought to be anlalogous to that of subacute thyroiditis and several types of metastatic cancer of the thyroid: rapid tissue necrosis with resultant release of thyroid hormone. Recently, we experienced a case of anaplastic thyroid cancer presenting with rapid growing mass and hyperthyroidism in a 67-year-old woman and report it with the review of the literatures.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.68-75
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• 2013

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) belongs to the most malignant and rapidly progressive human thyroid cancers and its prognosis is very poor. Also, it shows high resistance to cancer treatments, so that effective treatment for ATC has not been found to date, and virtually all patients terminate their life rapidly after diagnosis. Although targeted treatment of genetic alterations has emerged as an extremely promising approach to human cancers, such as BRAF in metastatic melanoma, it remains unclear that how commonly genomic alterations are influenced in ATC tumorigenesis. In recent years, genome wide approaches have been exploited to find genetic alterations associated with complex diseases, including cancer. Here, we reviewed the comprehensive genetic alterations in ATC and recent approaches in the context of identifying genomic alterations associated with ATC. Since surprisingly few reports have been published on the genome wide study of ATC, this review puts emphasis on the urgent needs of genomic research for the prevention and treatment of ATC.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2017

Anaplastic thyroid cancer is a rare disease entity consist 2% of whole thyroid cancer but once diagnosed, it is too fatal to survive. Airway obstruction is a leading cause of death in anaplastic thyroid cancer, which may be caused by both vocal cord palsy, mass effect of the cancer or direct invasion of the cancer itself to the tracheal lumen. Tracheal stent insertion can be a solution for airway compromised cases where surgical excision cannot be performed. The advantage is that the airway problem can be solved without invasive procedure. In this case, we tried expandable tracheal stent insertion for 66 years-old man with anaplastic cancer who visited ER for small amount of hemoptysis and dyspnea. There was severe tracheal narrowing and deviation due to the anaplastic thyroid cancer, ECMO (Extra Corporal Membrane Oxygenation) was used instead of a tracheal intubation for general anesthesia.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.19-25
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• 2019

Background/Objectives: Although anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is rare, it is one of the deadliest forms of thyroid cancer. The fatality rate for ATC is high, and the survival rate at one year after diagnosis is <20%. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-tumor activities of paclitaxel, radiation, and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) combined therapy in anaplastic thyroid cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo and explore its effects on apoptotic cell death pathways. Materials & Methods: ATC cell line was exposed to TKI, lenvatinib in the presence or absence of paclitaxel with radiation, and cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Effects of the combined treatment on cell cycle and intracellular signaling pathways were assessed by flow cytometry and western blot analysis. The ATC cell line xenograft model was used to examine the anti-tumor activity in vivo. Results: Our data revealed that the combined administration of paclitaxel, TKI, and radiation decreased cell viability in ATC cells, and also significantly increased apoptotic cell death in these cells, as demonstrated by the cleavage of caspase-3 and DNA fragmentation. This combination therapy reduced anti-apoptotic factor levels in ATC cells, while significantly decreasing tumor volume and increasing survival in ATC xenografts. Conclusion: These results indicate that administering the combination of paclitaxel, TKI, and radiation therapy may exert significant anticancer effects in preclinical models, potentially suggesting a new clinical approach for treating patients with ATC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.1241-1245
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• 2015

Background: Thyroid carcinoma is the most common malignancy of the endocrine organs. Although the majority of thyroid cancer patients experience positive outcomes, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is considered one of the most aggressive malignancies. Current therapeutic regimens do not confer a significant survival benefit, and new therapies are urgently needed. Oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) may represent a promising therapy for cancer. In the present study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of a third-generation HSV vector, $G47{\Delta}$, on various human thyroid carcinoma cell lines in vitro. Two subcutaneous (s.c.) models of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma were also established to evaluate the in vivo anti-tumor efficacy of $G47{\Delta}$. Materials and Methods: The human thyroid carcinoma cell line ARO, FRO, WRO, and KAT-5, were infected with $G47{\Delta}$ at different multiplicities of infection (MOIs) in vitro. The survival rates of infected cells were calculated each day. Two s.c. tumor models were established using ARO and FRO cells in Balb/c nude mice, which were intratumorally (i.t.) treated with either $G47{\Delta}$ or mock. Tumor volumes and mouse survival times were documented. Results: $G47{\Delta}$ was highly cytotoxic to different types of thyroid carcinomas. For ARO, FRO, and KAT-5, greater than 30% and 80% of cells were killed at MOI=0.01 and MOI=0.1, respectively on day 5. WRO cells displayed modest sensitivity to $G47{\Delta}$, with only 21% and 38% of cells killed. In the s.c. tumor model, both of the anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cell lines (ARO and FRO) were highly sensitive to $G47{\Delta}$; $G47{\Delta}$ significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the survival of mice bearing s.c. ARO and FRO tumors. Conclusions: The oHSV $G47{\Delta}$ can effectively kill different types of human thyroid carcinomas in vitro. $G47{\Delta}$ significantly inhibited growth of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma in vivo and prolonged animal survival. Therefore, $G47{\Delta}$ may hold great promise for thyroid cancer patients.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.321-329
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• 2023

Anaplastic thyroid cancer has the highest mortality rate of all thyroid cancers and shows low responsiveness to most treatments. Hongyoung, a reddish-colored potato, is an excellent source of dietary polyphenol containing a large amount of anthocyanins, which has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. This study investigated the effects of Hongyoung extract on apoptosis and invasiveness in SNU-80 anaplastic thyroid cancer cells. The quantification of the total polyphenol content was done by spectrophotometric measurement. Cell growth was measured by using 2-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl) 2H tetrazolium, monosodium salt (MTS) assay. Cell cycle was analyzed through FACS analysis. Induction of apoptosis in cells was investigated by annexin V staining using flow cytometer and the expression of caspase-3 and Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) through western blot. mRNA expression and protein activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2/-9 were examined by RT-PCR and zymography. As a result, the TPC of Hongyoung was 292.43±8.42 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g dry extract. Hongyoung showed a dose-dependent cell growth inhibition, and the IC₅₀ values was 1,000 ㎍/mL. sub-G1 phase was more than doubled compared to the control group, and S and G2/M phase arrest were also induced. Hongyoung induced apoptosis by increasing FITC-Annexin V-positive cells and increased the activation of caspase-3 (cleaved caspase-3) and PARP (fragmented PARP). Hongyoung significantly inhibited mRNA expression and protein activation of MMP-2/-9 in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-treated SNU-80 cells. Therefore, this study suggests the possibility of development of Hongyoung extract as an anti-cancer agent.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.151-158
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• 1995

Anaplastic carcinoma of thyroid gland account for no more than 10% of thyroid cancer, but it shows extremely poor prognosis. The purpose of this study is to review the outcome of patients with anaplastic carcinoma over the span of 5 years and to determine the patterns of clinical presentation, age, sex and other possible prognostic variables. We analyzed 30 cases of anaplastic carcinoma retrospectively from 1991 to 1995. There were 14 men and 16 women. There age ranged 33 to 75 years with a mean of 61.0 years. Sixteen patients presented with transformationqr of well differentiated carcinoma to anaplastic carcinoma, 1 with rapid in-crease in the size of long standing goiter, 8 with rapidly growing neck mass and 4 with meta static disease. Twenty-eight patients(93.3%) showed cervical lymphnode metastasis at presentation and twenty three patients(76.6%) showed laryngotracheal invasion. Nine patients (30.3%) showed distant metastasis. Treatment modalities included surgical resection, external irradiation, radioactive iodine and systemic chemotherapy. At decision making of treatment plan, we considered completeness of initial surgery, uptake rate of whole body radioactive io-dine scan, locoregional progression and distant metastasis. The median survival was 6.8 months and three cases survived beyond 12 months.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

Thyroid cancer is one of the slow-growing tumors with excellent oncological outcomes. However, a small set of patients with unexpectedly severe outcomes are usually ignored. Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) remains one of the most aggressive and lethal solid tumors. Recently, dabrafenib and trametinib combination therapy or neoadjuvant BRAF induction therapy has shown promising results. In addition, a combination of targeted drugs, immunotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy can improve overall survival in ATC patients. Another disease for which there is no breakthrough treatment is radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). To date, multikinase inhibitors (sorafenib, lenvatinib) targeting the growth factor signaling pathway have been developed and approved as anticancer agents for patients with advanced DTC. This review includes results from multikinase inhibitors to the emergence of new target molecules, including rearrangements during transformation (RET) and tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK).

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.4937-4944
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• 2015

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as critical regulators in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Recently, miR-99a has been reported as a tumor suppressor gene in various human cancers, but its functions in the context of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) remain unknown. In this study, we reported that miR-99a was commonly downregulated in ATC tissue specimens and cell lines with important functional consequences. Overexpression of miR-99a not only dramatically reduced ATC cell viability by inducing cell apoptosis and accumulation of cells at G1 phase, but also inhibited tumorigenicity in vivo. We then screened and identified a novel miR-99a target, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and it was further confirmed by luciferase assay. Up-regulation of miR-99a would markedly reduce the expression of mTOR and its downstream phosphorylated proteins (p-4E-BP1 and p-S6K1). Similar to restoring miR-99a expression, mTOR down-regulation suppressed cell viability and increased cell apoptosis, whereas restoration of mTOR expression significantly reversed the miR-99a antitumor activity and the inhibition of mTOR/p-4E-BP1/p-S6K1 signal pathway profile. In clinical specimens and cell lines, mTOR was commonly overexpressed and its protein levels were statistically inversely correlated with miR-99a expression. Taken together, our results demonstrated for the first time that miR-99a functions as a tumor suppressor and plays an important role in inhibiting the tumorigenesis through targeting the mTOR/p-4E-BP1/p-S6K1 pathway in ATC cells. Given these, miR-99a may serve as a novel prognostic/diagnostic and therapeutic target for treating ATC.