Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Thyroid cancer

Redifferentiation — a 'new' option for 131I-negative DTC

Early attempts at the reinduction of 131I uptake by redifferentiation of 131I-negative differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) had limited success. Novel therapies targeting the pathways that restore expression of the sodium iodine symporter now offer new hope of success for redifferentiation therapy in DTCs with the BRAFV600E mutation.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Winter, J. et al. Patients with high-risk differentiated thyroid cancer have a lower I-131 ablation success rate than low-risk ones in spite of a high ablation activity. Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf.) http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cen.13123 (2016).

  2. Verburg, F. A. et al. Life expectancy is reduced in differentiated thyroid cancer patients ≥ 45 years old with extensive local tumor invasion, lateral lymph node, or distant metastases at diagnosis and normal in all other DTC patients. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 98, 172–180 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Nagarajah, J. et al. Sustained ERK inhibition maximizes responses of BrafV600E thyroid cancers to radioiodine. J Clin. Invest. http://dx.doi.org/10.1172/JCI89067 (2016).

  4. Simon, D. et al. Clinical impact of retinoids in redifferentiation therapy of advanced thyroid cancer: final results of a pilot study. Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imag. 29, 775–782 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Tepmongkol, S., Keelawat, S., Honsawek, S. & Ruangvejvorachai, P. Rosiglitazone effect on radioiodine uptake in thyroid carcinoma patients with high thyroglobulin but negative total body scan: a correlation with the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ. Thyroid 18, 697–704 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hoftijzer, H. et al. Beneficial effects of sorafenib on tumor progression, but not on radioiodine uptake, in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Eur. J. Endocrinol. 161, 923–931 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Ho, A. L. et al. Selumetinib-enhanced radioiodine uptake in advanced thyroid cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 368, 623–632 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ho, A. L. et al. The ASTRA study: adjuvant selumetinib for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC); remission after radioiodine. http://thyroidworldcongress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/P102_Ho.pdf (2013).

  9. Brose, M. S. et al. Sorafenib in radioactive iodine-refractory, locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer: a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial. Lancet 384, 319–328 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Schlumberger, M. et al. Lenvatinib versus placebo in radioiodine-refractory thyroid cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 372, 621–630 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frederik A. Verburg.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

F.A.V. has been a consultant for Bayer Healthcare and Sanofi Genzyme and received speaker honoraria from Diasorin and Sanofi Genzyme. M.L. has been a consultant for AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare, Sanofi Genzyme and Sobi and received speaker honoraria and research support from Henning, Sanofi Genzyme and Merck.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Verburg, F., Luster, M. Redifferentiation — a 'new' option for 131I-negative DTC. Nat Rev Endocrinol 13, 9–10 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2016.182

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2016.182

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Translational Research