For Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, every September, we are featuring some of the latest, currently recruiting clinical trials focused on thyroid cancer treatment. These trials are Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials that are not anticipated to complete until March 2026 at the earliest and November 2030 at the latest.

Each of the following six clinical trials are compared in the table below, and then individually outlined following the comparison. The specific topics include a trial on targeted therapy versus chemotherapy, safety and efficacy trials, and more.

Comparison Table of Currently Recruiting Thyroid Cancer Clinical Trials
Study TitlePhaseEstimated EnrollmentStart DateEstimated Primary Completion
Zanzalintinib for the Treatment of Advanced Thyroid Cancer Before Surgery2457/22/20253/1/2025
Comparison of I-124 PET/CT for the Diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer2587/14/20253/31/2026
XL092 for the Treatment of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Radioiodine Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Cancer2336/6/20259/11/2030
Study of Targeted Therapy vs. Chemotherapy in Patients With Thyroid Cancer32648/22/20249/30/2030
Selpercatinib Pre-RAI in Patients With RET Fusion Thyroid Cancer (RAISE)2137/29/202411/1/2030
Vemurafenib and Cobimetinib for the Treatment of Patients With High Risk Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma With BRAFV600E Mutation2217/15/202411/22/2026
Phase 3 Clinical Trials

Zanzalintinib for the Treatment of Advanced Thyroid Cancer Before Surgery

  • Sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
  • Goal: To look at the effectiveness of zanzalintinib, followed by surgery, in treating advanced thyroid cancer. The safety of this treatment will also be studied.
  • Interventions: Zanzalintinib
  • Primary Outcome Measure: Safety and adverse events.
  • Timeframe: Through study completion; an average of 1 year.
  • Study Details
  • Source

Comparison of I-124 PET/CT for the Diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer

  • Sponsor: Thomas Hope
  • Goal: This is a single arm prospective trial that evaluates the ability of Iodine-124 (I-124) to detect metastatic thyroid cancer compared to non-interventional, usual care I-123 and I-131 images.
  • Interventions: Iodine-124, PET/CT
  • Primary Outcome Measure, Timeframe: Reclassification Rate, 1 day; Overall sensitivity of I-124 PET to detect metastatic thyroid cancer (region), 1 day; Overall sensitivity of I-124 PET to detect metastatic thyroid cancer (participant), 1 day; Overall specificity of I-124 PET to detect metastatic thyroid cancer (region), 1 day; Overall specificity of I-124 PET to detect metastatic thyroid cancer (participant), 1 day.
  • Study Details
  • Source

XL092 for the Treatment of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Radioiodine Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

  • Sponsor: Northwestern University
  • Goal: This phase II trial tests how well XL092 works for the treatment of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer that has not responded to previous treatment with radioiodine (radioiodine refractory) and that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes or that has spread from where it first started to other places in the body.
  • Interventions: Biospecimen collection, CT, MRI, survey administration, X-ray imaging, Zanzalintinib
  • Primary Outcome Measure: Progression free survival (PFS)
  • Timeframe: From the time of the first dose of XL092 to the first documentation of disease progression, initiation of subsequent anti-cancer therapy, completion of 12 months of participation, or death from any cause, whichever occurs first, assessed at 12 months.
  • Study Details
  • Source

Study of Targeted Therapy vs. Chemotherapy in Patients With Thyroid Cancer

  • Sponsor: ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group
  • Goal: This phase III trial compares the effect of cabozantinib versus combination dabrafenib and trametinib for the treatment of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer that does not respond to treatment (refractory) and which expresses a BRAF V600E mutation.
  • Interventions: Biospecimen collection, cabozantinib, CT, MRI, dabrafenib, questionnaire administration, trametinib
  • Primary Outcome Measure: Progression free survival (PFS)
  • Timeframe: From randomization to radiographic progression of disease by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 or death from any cause, up to 5 years.
  • Study Details
  • Source

Selpercatinib Pre-RAI in Patients With RET Fusion Thyroid Cancer (RAISE)

  • Sponsor: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Goal: The primary Phase II objective will be to evaluate the pulmonary structural response rate at 18 months to the combination of selpercatinib given for 6-months followed by 131I therapy.
  • Interventions: Selpercatinib Monotherapy, 131I therapy
  • Primary Outcome Measure, timeframe: Number of patients with complete overall, pulmonary, structural, and biochemical response, 18 months; Number of patients who survive without progression of disease after five years following protocol treatment, five years; Proportion of all patients enrolled who show increased radioactive iodine avidity at six months following selpercatinib monotherapy, six months; The incidence of adverse events and dose limiting toxicity with the combination of selpercatinib and 131I therapy, gradede according to CTCAE v5, 12 months.
  • Study Details
  • Source

Vemurafenib and Cobimetinib for the Treatment of Patients With High Risk Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma With BRAFV600E Mutation

  • Sponsor: City of Hope Medical Center
  • Goal: This phase II trial tests how well vemurafenib and cobimetinib work in treating patients with high risk differentiated thyroid carcinoma with BRAFV600E mutation, in preparation for radioactive iodine therapy.
  • Interventions: Biospecimin collection, cobimetinib, CT, diagnostic imaging, I-131 update test, Iodine I-131, MRI, PET, recombinant thyrotropin alfa, ultrasound imaging, vemurafenib
  • Primary Outcome Measure: Patients who achieve excellent or indeterminate response with vemurafenib and cobimetinib treatment prior to radioactive iodine therapy.
    Timeframe: Up to completion of six week vemurafenib and cobimetinib therapy. 
  • Study Details
  • Source
Related Guidelines:

Adult Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

  • American Thyroid Association, August 2025
  • Full Text

Nuclear Medicine Evaluation and Therapy of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

  • Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, June 2022
  • Full Text

Children with Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

  • American Thyroid Association, July 2015
  • Full Text

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