Abstract:

Advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), which can not be completely resected and is null to conventional radiochemotherapy, usually lacks in effective strategies. Targeted therapy has emerged as a new strategy in the treatment of hematological and solid neoplasms. With the research progress of molecular biology mechanism on carcinogenesis, progression and metastasis, targeted therapy has been used in the research of treatment of MTC. The main drugs used in the treatment of MTC now include small molecule multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitor, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor and radioactive nuclide targeted therapy medicine, all of which have yielded promising results in basic researches, animal experiments and clinical applications. The other drugs, such as endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor Gefitinib (ZD1839), indometacin and 17 allylamino 17 demethoxygeldanamycin (17AAG), have also exhibited favorable prospects in the clinical trials of treatment of advanced MTC.

Key words: medullary thyroid carcinoma, targeted therapy, signaling pathway