Patel Kepal N, Shaha Ashok R
Department of Surgery, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, USA.
Cancer Control. 2006 Apr;13(2):119-28. doi: 10.1177/107327480601300206.
Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) and anaplastic (undifferentiated) thyroid carcinoma (ATC) comprise a small subset of thyroid tumors that are associated with a poor prognosis and account for a significant portion of the morbidity and mortality related to thyroid cancer. Since management strategies vary between these two entities, it is important for clinicians to be able to differentiate PDTC from ATC.
We reviewed the literature on PDTC and ATC and compared clinical and histopathologic features important in defining the disease process.
Both PDTC and ATC display aggressive behavior with increased locoregional and distant disease. In most cases, patients are older and have large, locally advanced tumors. PDTC may represent an intermediate entity in the progression of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma to ATC. The use of surgical management may be curative or palliative and differs between PDTC and ATC. The roles of radiotherapy and chemotherapy have not been well described.
PDTC and ATC are rare diseases that carry a poor prognosis. Recognition of their different clinicopathologic features is important to the optimal management of these tumors.
低分化甲状腺癌（PDTC）和间变性（未分化）甲状腺癌（ATC）是甲状腺肿瘤中的一小部分，预后较差，在甲状腺癌相关的发病率和死亡率中占很大比例。由于这两种实体的治疗策略不同，临床医生能够区分PDTC和ATC很重要。
我们回顾了关于PDTC和ATC的文献，并比较了在定义疾病过程中重要的临床和组织病理学特征。
PDTC和ATC均表现出侵袭性，局部和远处疾病增加。在大多数情况下，患者年龄较大，患有大的局部晚期肿瘤。PDTC可能代表分化良好的甲状腺癌向ATC进展过程中的一个中间实体。手术治疗的使用可能是治愈性的或姑息性的，PDTC和ATC之间有所不同。放疗和化疗的作用尚未得到充分描述。
PDTC和ATC是罕见疾病，预后较差。认识到它们不同的临床病理特征对于这些肿瘤的最佳管理很重要。
