Publications by authors named "O Karapanou"
Purpose: MTC has varying clinical course. In cases with metastatic disease (meta-MTC) further therapeutic modalities (locoregional and/or Tyrosine-Kinase-Inhibitors, TKIs) are needed. Clinical features, disease progression, response to therapy and possible factors predisposing to TKIs response-resistance in meta-MTCs were investigated.
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- Recent advancements in understanding the molecular biology of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) have led to the development of targeted therapies, primarily tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) like vandetanib and cabozantinib, approved for treating metastatic MTC.
- New selective RET inhibitors, selpercatinib and pralsetinib, target RET mutations and have also been approved for RET-mutant MTCs and differentiated thyroid cancer.
- Despite these advancements, there is limited evidence showing improved prognosis, and drug resistance poses significant challenges, highlighting the need for deeper insights into tumorigenesis and resistance mechanisms to enhance treatment options in MTC.
During the last decades, the knowledge on follicular cell-derived thyroid cancer molecular biology has led to the evolution of a number of novel therapies for these tumors, mainly tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Lenvantinib, sorafenib and recently cabozantinib have been approved for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), while larotrectinib and entrectinib for neurotrophic-tropomyosin receptor kinase-fusion thyroid cancer. For radioiodine (RAI) refractory DTCs ongoing research aims to identify agents that may restore RAI-avidity via redifferentiation protocols (vemurafenib or dabrafenib and trametinib) or combination treatments.
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- A study aimed to investigate the link between estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) gene polymorphisms and early puberty in Greek girls, analyzing 107 girls with early puberty and 81 controls.
- The results showed no significant differences in XbaI and PvuII polymorphisms between the two groups, though homozygous girls appeared to reach puberty earlier and were taller than their heterozygous counterparts.
- Ultimately, the research concluded that while the polymorphisms are not related to idiopathic early puberty, they are linked to earlier menarche and taller adult height in women.
Article Synopsis
- Anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-Tg) are found in 20-25% of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients, complicating their follow-up due to interference with thyroglobulin measurements.
- This study analyzed 234 DTC patients with positive anti-Tg at diagnosis to explore clinical and histological factors influencing anti-Tg persistence and disease outcomes during follow-up.
- Results showed that patients with persistent anti-Tg had poorer disease outcomes, including more advanced tumors, higher rates of disease progression, and ineffective treatment with additional therapies.