Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare but significant malignancy due to its high mortality rate. Rendering an accurate diagnosis is crucial given the prognostic implications and treatment ramifications. Based on the prognostic significance of the extent of invasion of the primary tumor, T staging for ATC changed in the most recent edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging manual. In the past 5 years there has been a rapid increase in our understanding of the molecular basis of ATC which has provided the basis for targeted therapy for some ATC patients. In this review, ATC prognostic factors, histologic and immunotypic features, staging updates, and molecular alterations, with an emphasis on those that may impact treatment, will be discussed.