Combretastatin A-4 and doxorubicin combination treatment is effective in a preclinical model of human medullary thyroid carcinoma

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), both in patients and in preclinical models, is resistant to chemotherapy. In this study, we show that the anti-neovascular agent combretastatin A-4 phosphate prodrug (CA4P) in combination with doxorubicin was effective in curtailing tumor growth in a preclinical model of human MTC. This combination of combretastatin and doxorubicin extended the doubling time of established MTC tumors in nude mice to 29 days, compared to 12 days in untreated controls. This suggests that a combination of combretastatin and a cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agent may be an effective treatment for MTC.