NCCN Updates Clinical Practice Guidelines in Thyroid Carcinoma
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recently published updated recommendations regarding management of medullary thyroid carcinoma and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, along with surgical management of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (papillary, follicular, Hürthle cell carcinoma) in (J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2022; 20(8):925-951. doi:10.6004/jnccn.2022.0040).
Version 2.2022 indicates that in general, differentiated thyroid carcinomas are correlated with an excellent prognosis. The treatment of choice for differentiated thyroid carcinoma is surgery, followed by radioactive iodine ablation (iodine-131) in select patients and thyroxine therapy in most patients. Surgery is also the primary treatment for medullary thyroid carcinoma, and kinase inhibitors may be suitable for select patients with recurrent or persistent disease that is nonresectable. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is almost uniformly lethal, and iodine-131 imaging and radioactive iodine cannot be utilized. When systemic therapy is indicated, targeted therapy options are favored.
