Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: 5-10% of papillary thyroid carcinoma develop metastatic disease, of which about 60-70% will become refractory to radioactive iodine. Significant negative impact on the prognosis and an average life expectancy of 3 to 5 years.

Material and method: Since 2018, patients with refractory thyroid carcinoma and considered to be progressive according to the RECIST criteria have been treated with anti tyrosine Kinase type sorafenib.

9 patients treated: an anaplastic carcinoma, a medullary carcinoma and 7 differentiated carcinomas. 3 women/6 men, average age: 56 years old. Tumor regression was observed in 3 patients but stopped in 2 due to the onset of a serious side effect, with rebound phenomenon in one of them; lesion stability in 3 patients; disease progression leading to discontinuate the treatment in 3 patients.

Discussion: Refractory thyroid cancers are rare but responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths. The use of kinase inhibitors has improved the outcome of these patients.

On the other hand, in addition to their high cost, they have a notable toxicity, responsible of major side effects impairing the quality of life, for an uncertain response. Due to the complexity of these treatments, these patients are at best managed by multidisciplinary groups.