Combination of Lenvatinib and Pembrolizumab as Salvage Treatment for Paucicellular Variant of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer: A Case Report

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a rare but aggressive thyroid cancer, responsible for about 50% of all thyroid cancer-related deaths. During the last two decades, the development of a multimodal personalized approach resulted in an increased survival. Here, we present an unusual case of a 54-year old woman with a paucicellular metastatic ATC, a rare variant of ATC, who was treated with a combination of surgery, radiation therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy. More than two years later, when the disease was rapidly growing, a combination of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab induced a partial tumor response of lung metastasis that persisted over 18 months. Paucicellular ATC may initially show a less aggressive behavior compared to other histological ATC variants. However, over the time, its clinical course can rapidly progress like common ATC. The combination of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab was effective as a salvage therapy for a long period of time.

Automated summary

The case study describes a rare variant of anaplastic thyroid cancer in a 54-year-old woman, who initially responded well to a combination treatment of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, and later received lenvatinib and pembrolizumab with a sustained partial tumor response. Paucicellular ATC may exhibit less aggressive behavior initially but can progress rapidly over time, with the combination of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab showing effectiveness as salvage therapy for an extended period.