Advances in immunotherapy for thyroid malignancies: from molecular targets to clinical outcomes

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Source: Frontiers Medicine

Original: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2026.1754058...

Published: 2026-02-12T00:00:00Z

Thyroid cancer encompasses several tumor types, including papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic carcinomas, which differ in their molecular alterations and response to treatment. Current treatments, such as surgical resection, radioiodine therapy, and small molecule inhibitors, are effective in many cases but have significant limitations, particularly in anaplastic and advanced medullary tumors, where patients often show resistance to conventional treatments. Recent studies underscore the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 pathways in selected populations of PD-L1-expressing anaplastic thyroid carcinoma and differentiated thyroid cancers. New immune modulators, specifically LAG-3 and TIM-3 inhibitors, are being tested in combination treatment regimens. Vaccines designed to elicit an immune response against the BRAFV600E mutation, RET/PTC fusions, and other tumor antigens have shown promising results in preliminary trials. Adoptive methods, including mobilization of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and engineered CAR-T lymphocytes, are progressing in preclinical and early clinical stages. The combination of immunotherapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors or radiotherapy increases antitumor effects. Major challenges include low baseline immunogenicity of differentiated tumors, rapid emergence of resistance, and complex endocrine side effects that require careful biomarker-based patient selection and thoughtful design of combinations