Table 2.

Rationale for Observation or Localized Therapies in Patients With DTC or MTC and Distant Metastatic Disease

• Kinase inhibitor-based therapies are not curative. Continuous therapy is necessary to maintain a response.

• Side effects associated with kinase inhibitors may reduce the patient’s quality of life, and medications may have the potential to cause harm.

• The clinical benefits derived from these drugs (tumor size reduction, stabilization of disease, symptom improvement) last for a limited period of time. In fact, trials and clinical experience demonstrate that the disease will invariably progress over time.

• Despite prolonging progression-free survival, the benefits regarding OS have yet to be clearly established.