ANALYSIS OF GROWTH CURVES OF PULMONARY METASTASES IN PATIENTS WITH ANAPLASTIC THYROID CANCER

Abstract

Growth curves of pulmonary metastases in three patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer were analyzed from chest X-ray films. Two of the patients, not undergoing chemotherapy, showed an exponential growth in their pulmonary metastases; tumor doubling time (TDT) was 9.2_??_25.0 days. In the third patient, TDT was as short as 6.2_??_7.6 days, and the effect of aggressive chemotherapy (mainly, adriamycin and cisplatin) correlated well with their growth curve. The growth curve in this patient suggested that pulmonary metastases had already occurred when the original tumor was completely resected. In view of the above metastatic time, systemic chemotherapy, rather than hyperfractionated radiation, should be done first after curative surgery.