Keith C. Bible, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, Mayo Clinic, discusses the impact that lenvatinib (Lenvima) has had on the treatment landscape of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

It is a plus to have another agent, such as lenvatinib, in this space as sorafenib demonstrates more modest activity in patients. Lenvatinib also elicits higher response rates in patients versus sorafenib, Bible explains. In patients with aggressive symptomatic disease, lenvatinib is a more cytoreductive approach that can help improve symptoms.

The approval of lenvatinib gives clinicians the opportunity to provide another therapy option to patients with DTC, Bible says.

View more from the 2016 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium

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Keith C. Bible, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, Mayo Clinic, discusses the impact that lenvatinib (Lenvima) has had on the treatment landscape of differentiated thyroid cancer. 

Dr. Bible on Impact of Lenvatinib on Treatment Landscape of DTC

Keith C. Bible, MD, PhD, professor of oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the promise of pemetrexed as a potential treatment option for patients with follicular cell-derived thyroid cancers.

Preclinical studies have shown that pemetrexed inhibits in vitro growth of thyroid cancer cell lines. Additionally, in phase I trials, several patients with thyroid cancer had beneficial clinical responses with pemetrexed.

In an anecdotally experience, 7 patients with thyroid cancer were treated with pemetrexed, with the majority of patients having brisk responses, Bible says. This case series, which was presented at the ATA Annual Meeting, shows that there are some cytotoxic drugs that seem to have some activity in poorly differentiated, aggressive thyroid cancers.

These results could suggest a potential option for patients who are refractory to other approaches. Bible and his colleagues have approached Lilly, the manufacturer of pemetrexed, to gain funding to continue to study pemetrexed in this group of patients.

View more from the 2014 ATA Annual Meeting

Keith C. Bible, MD, PhD, professor of oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the promise of pemetrexed and carboplatin as a potential treatment option for patients with follicular cell-derived thyroid cancers.

Keith C. Bible, MD, PhD

Articles

Dr. Bible on Impact of Lenvatinib on Treatment Landscape of DTC

Dr. Bible Discusses the Promise of Pemetrexed in Follicular Thyroid Cancers