Busaidy, Naifa L.

The NCCN Guidelines for Thyroid Carcinoma address the management of different types of thyroid carcinoma, including papillary, follicular, oncocytic, medullary, and anaplastic carcinoma. The NCCN Thyroid Carcinoma Panel meets at least annually to review comments from reviewers within their institutions, examine relevant new data from publications and abstracts, and reevaluate and update their recommendations. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on the panel’s most recent recommendations regarding systemic therapies for thyroid carcinoma as well as the supporting clinical data.

6008 Background: ATC patients present with advanced, often surgically unresectable disease with historically dismal prognosis. Median PFS and OS of DT without pembrolizumab were 6.7 and 13.5 months, respectively, in the ROAR trial. Neoadjuvant DTP achieved locoregional control without radical surgery in a retrospective series of BRAF m-ATC patients, providing rationale to evaluate efficacy and safety in a phase 2 prospective trial. Methods: In this single-arm multicenter phase 2 trial, patients with BRAF m-ATC stage IVB/IVC were enrolled in 5 US centers. Following a 3-6 week run-in with D (150 mg BID) and T (2 mg daily), P (200 mg Q3W) was added, with restaging every three (21-day) cycles. Post-operatively, patients continued P (or DTP) with radiotherapy or transitioned directly to adjuvant DTP (up to 26 cycles). Primary endpoints included R0/R1 resection rate (historically 5%) and overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included RECIST 1.1 response after DTP and progression-free survival (PFS). Results: Between 9/2021-1/2025, 42 patients were enrolled; 36 are included in the current analysis (3 not evaluable, 3 pending surgery) (Table). Patients received median 4 (range: 2-7) neoadjuvant DTP cycles, with 26 (72%) achieving radiographic PR/CR. 30 patients (83%) had surgery after neoadjuvant DTP, achieving R0/R1 resection in 29/30 (97%). Mean surgical morbidity score (0-4 scale, 4=unresectable) improved from 3.3 to 1.6 after DTP (p<0.01). Complete ATC pathologic response occurred in 20/30 patients (67%), while 10/30 (33%) had residual ATC in the surgical specimen. Postoperatively, 11/30 (37%) received adjuvant neck radiation, and 28/36 (78%) completed a median of 11 (range: 1-26) adjuvant DTP cycles. With median follow up 18 months, 15/36 (42%) patients died. Median OS was 20 months (95% CI: 12.6-NR); 1- and 2-year OS were 71% and 48%. Complete pathologic responders had better 2-year OS than those with residual ATC (69% vs. 22%, p=0.02). Median PFS was 13.9 months (95% CI, 7.5-NR); 1- and 2-year PFS were 57% and 36%. Grade 5 adverse events occurred in 8 patients (22%), including one possible (duodenal perforation), one probable (kidney injury with sepsis), and 6 unlikely/unrelated treatment-related deaths. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant DTP enables surgical resection in BRAF m-ATC compared with historical controls, and leads to improved PFS and OS. This approach should now be considered a standard of care for BRAF m-ATC. Clinical trial information: NCT04675710 . Total N=36 Age (y), median (range) 67 (46-86) Stage IVB/IVC, n (%) 15 (42%)/21 (58%) Best RECIST response neoadjuvant phase, n (%) CR 2 (6%) PR 24 (67%) SD 6 (17%) PD 4 (11%) Percent change target lesion diameter, mean (95% CI) -44% (-54%, -34%) Surgical morbidity score change, mean (95% CI) -1.7 (-2.1, -1.3)

Differentiated thyroid carcinomas is associated 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 main treatment for medullary thyroid carcinoma, and kinase inhibitors may be appropriate for select patients with recurrent or persistent disease that is not resectable. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is almost uniformly lethal, and iodine-131 imaging and radioactive iodine cannot be used. When systemic therapy is indicated, targeted therapy options are preferred. This article describes NCCN recommendations regarding management of medullary thyroid carcinoma and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, and surgical management of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (papillary, follicular, Hürthle cell carcinoma).

AbstractBackgroundCare for patients with thyroid nodules is complex and multidisciplinary, and research demonstrates variation in care. The objective was to develop clinical guidelines and quality metrics to reduce unwarranted variation and improve quality.MethodsMultidisciplinary expert consensus and modified Delphi approach. Source documents were workflow algorithms from Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Cancer Care of Ontario based on the 2015 American Thyroid Association management guidelines for adult patients with thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer.ResultsA consensus‐based, unified preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative workflow was developed for North American use. Twenty‐one panelists achieved consensus on 16 statements about workflow‐embedded process and outcomes metrics addressing safety, access, appropriateness, efficiency, effectiveness, and patient centeredness of care.ConclusionA panel of Canadian and United States experts achieved consensus on workflows and quality metric statements to help reduce unwarranted variation in care, improving overall quality of care for patients diagnosed with thyroid nodules.

AbstractThe newly introduced pathologic diagnosis of noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary‐like nuclear features (NIFTP) will result in less bilateral thyroid surgery as well as deescalation in T4 suppressive and radioactive iodine treatment. Although, NIFTP is a nonmalignant lesion that has nuclear features of some papillary malignancies, the challenge for the surgeon is to identify a lesion as possibly NIFTP before the pathologic diagnosis. NIFTP, due to its reduction of overall rates of malignancy, will result in the initial surgical pendulum swinging toward lobectomy instead of initial total thyroidectomy. This American Head and Neck Society endocrine section consensus statement is intended to inform preoperative evaluation to attempt to identify those patients whose final pathology report may ultimately harbor NIFTP and can be offered a conservative surgical plan to assist in cost‐effective, optimal management of patients with NIFTP.

Background: The Afirma ® Gene Expression Classifier (GEC) risk stratifies The Bethesda System for the Reporting of Thyroid Cytopathology class III/IV (indeterminate) thyroid nodules (ITNs) as suspicious for malignancy or benign. Several authors have published studies describing the diagnostic accuracy of the GEC. However, the quality of these methods has not been rigorously examined. Summary: In this study, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for studies published between January 1, 2010, and June 30, 2016, examining the sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value of the GEC. The Quality of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 was customized to evaluate the methods of included studies in each of four domains: nodule selection, index test execution, reference standard assignment, and flow and timing. Signaling questions were used to identify sources of potential bias in calculation of diagnostic accuracy, and issues of applicability were assessed. Three panelists applied the Quality of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool to each study included, and divergence was resolved in conference. In 12 studies evaluated, the most common methodologic flaw was lack of reference standard diagnosis assignment to un-excised GEC-benign ITNs. Exclusion of these ITNs from the analyses resulted in unreliable estimates of specificity and negative predictive value. Other flaws identified included restriction to ITNs that had already been selected for referral for thyroidectomy or lobectomy. Conclusions: Future studies should define and assign a “true negative” label to GEC-benign nodules that do not develop malignant signs or symptoms during a pre-specified period of follow-up, and these nodules should be included in calculations of diagnostic accuracy.