[Docetaxel administration for radioiodine-resistant patients with metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma]

We report three radioiodine-resistant patients with metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma administered docetaxel. Patient 1: Bi-weekly docetaxel was administered to a 67-year-old woman with clavicle, cervical lymph node and lung metastases that had progressed after external irradiation and radioiodine therapy. Stable disease was maintained for 18 months without elevation of serum thyroglobulin. Patient 2: Bi-weekly docetaxel was administered to a 72-year-old man with lung metastases that had progressed after radioiodine therapy. Stable disease was maintained for 14 months. Patient 3: Bi-weekly docetaxel was administered to a 58-year-old woman with lung metastases that had progressed after radioiodine therapy. Stable disease was maintained for 18 months with slight reduction of serum thyroglobulin. In all three patients, doubling time of tumor growth was revealed to be far prolonged after docetaxel administration without distinct adverse events. Since no effective systemic treatment has been established for radioiodine-resistant patients with metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma,docetaxel therapy was supposed to be a viable alternative for them.