Prognostic and Therapeutic Role of Angiogenic Microenvironment in Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy, with a typically favorable prognosis following standard treatments, such as surgical resection and radioiodine therapy. A subset of thyroid cancers progress to refractory/metastatic disease. Understanding how the tumor microenvironment is transformed into an angiogenic microenvironment has a role of primary importance in the aggressive behavior of these neoplasms. During tumor growth and progression, angiogenesis represents a deregulated biological process, and the angiogenic switch, characterized by the formation of new vessels, induces tumor cell proliferation, local invasion, and hematogenous metastases. This evidence has propelled the scientific community’s effort to study a number of molecular pathways (proliferation, cell cycle control, and angiogenic processes), identifying mediators that may represent viable targets for new anticancer treatments. Herein, we sought to review angiogenesis in thyroid cancer and the potential role of proangiogenic cytokines for risk stratification of patients. We also present the current status of treatment of advanced differentiated, medullary, and poorly differentiated thyroid cancers with multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors, based on the rationale of angiogenesis as a potential therapeutic target.

Papillary Thyroid Cancer Prognosis: An Evolving Field

“…Several experimental and clinical data suggest that other molecules may have a role in the prognostic stratification of TC patients. These include immune checkpoint factors and immune-related signature (IRS), estrogen receptors, Vitamin D, tumor angiogenic microenvironment, circular RNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and the angiotensin converting enzymes ACE and ACE2 [ 184 , 185 , 186 , 187 , 188 , 189 , 190 , 191 , 192 , 193 , 194 ]. However, all of them are awaiting validation in large case studies.…”

Identification of m6A-related lncRNAs for thyroid cancer recurrence

“…Therefore, the lncRNA that recognizes EMT may be a marker for early detection of cancer recurrence ( 26 ). LncRNAs are receiving increasing attention as a class of tumor biomarkers for early screening, targeted therapy, and prognostic evaluation ( 27 ). There is mounting evidence that lncRNAs are closely associated with the recurrence of tumors ( 28 , 29 ).…”

To Explore the Inhibitory Mechanism of Quercetin in Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma through Network Pharmacology and Experiments

“…The role of microenvironment in thyroid carcinogenesis has been clarified [ 15 ]. The components of microenvironment (extracellular matrix components (ECM) and stromal cells) surround and support cancer cells, interacting with them through cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions [ 16 ]. These are consistent with the results we obtained; through GO analysis, we concluded that the role of quercetin in PTC is enriched in processes such as response to extracellular stimulus, oxidoreductase activity, and extracellular matrix organization.…”