Anaplastic carcinoma following well-differentiated thyroid cancer: etiological considerations

Journal Article · Wed Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982 · Yale J. Biol. Med.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5096378

Kapp, D S; LiVolsi, V A; Sanders, M M

Most cases of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma can be pathologically and often historically associated with the presence of low-grade (differentiated) cancer in the thyroid. That radiation therapy to the differentiated tumor plays an etiologic role in the transformation of a differentiated to an undifferentiated tumor has been suggested. If such therapy can be implicated, is there a difference in risk between external radiotherapy or radioactive iodine. Review of the literature discloses that more anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid develop in patients without a history of prior radiation than in individuals who have received radiation. We report our recent experience with two patients who demonstrated the sequence of well-differentiated followed by anaplastic thyroid cancer subsequent to radiation and review the question.

• Research Organization: Yale Univ. School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
• OSTI ID: 5096378
• Journal Information: Yale J. Biol. Med.; (United States), Journal Name: Yale J. Biol. Med.; (United States) Vol. 55:5-6; ISSN YJBMA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BODY
CARCINOMAS
DELAYED RADIATION EFFECTS
DISEASES
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
ETIOLOGY
GLANDS
MEDICINE
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANS
PATIENTS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOINDUCTION
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
SIDE EFFECTS
THERAPY
THYROID