A new drug is registered in the Russian Federation for the treatment of unresectable locally advanced and metastatic medullary thyroid cancer. The multikinase inhibitor developed by AstraZeneca is the first and only drug in Russia approved for the treatment of patients with late-stage medullary thyroid cancer .     

According to Dr. med. P. O. Rumyantsev, thyroid cancer – the most common malignant tumor of the endocrine system. In recent decades, the Russian Federation has seen a steady increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer, the total number of cases detected annually reaches 10 thousand. Medullary cancer accounts for about 5% of all cases of thyroid cancer and is considered a rare disease. In about half the cases, a tumor is detected at a stage when surgical intervention is impossible or unlikely. Years of experience have shown that other types of antitumor therapy (radiation treatment, chemotherapy and               other) this histological type of thyroid cancer is insensitive. The clinical course of medullary thyroid cancer is distinguished by the high speed and vastness of tumor spread, a tendency to relapse and disease progression.   

“The currently used treatment in the locally advanced or metastatic stage, unfortunately, shows low efficiency. Registration of new orphan drugs in Russia makes a breakthrough in the fight against this life-threatening ailment, ”says Corresponding Member of RAMS, Professor, Ph.D. I. V. sieve.