Thyroid Cancer Molecular Signaling Pathways and Use of Targeted Therapy

Several agents are currently being tested that target thyroid molecular signaling and cancer cell biology. The pathways involved include but are not limited to the Ras pathway, vascular endothelial growth factor and epidermal growth factor receptors and antibodies, angiogenesis inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, heat shock protein inhibitors, demethylating agents, histone deacetylase inhibitors, and gene therapy. Each of these targeted approaches holds promise for our future ability to treat patients with thyroid cancer unresponsive to traditional therapy.