Thyroid cancer has an increasing incidence in the US population and worldwide, with 95% of the
cancers being of follicular cell origin-papillary, follicular, or
anaplastic thyroid carcinomas. Both follicular and
papillary thyroid cancers portend good survival rates, with estimated 5-year survival amongst differentiated
thyroid cancer approaching 97%. On the other hand, the median survival for a patient with
anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is measured in months. Despite the optimistic survival rates for papillary and
follicular thyroid carcinoma, a subset of this population demonstrates resistance to radioactive
iodine, and a proclivity for more aggressive
tumors with higher rates of recurrence and
metastasis.As there is an increased understanding of the molecular etiology of
thyroid cancer, there is also a new interest in alternative treatment methods for those nonresponsive to typical treatment. Multiple signaling pathways have been identified, including the
mitogen activated protein kinase pathway, as crucial to thyroid
tumor formation and progression. Additionally, particular oncogenes have been identified as prevalent in
anaplastic thyroid carcinoma and thought to be involved in the transformation from differentiated to anaplastic histology.We review the current literature and evidence describing the molecular and genetic etiology of non-medullary (follicular cell derived)
thyroid carcinomas including papillary, follicular, and
anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Additionally, we evaluate the current literature on emerging and established
therapies of molecular and genetic targets in these
cancers.