Summary
Afatinib has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated) would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated). ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Afatinib to Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated): 1 is active or not yet recruiting. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT02465060). It plans or enrolled 6452 participants. Registered activity dates to 2015. No published literature item is linked to Afatinib and Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated) in the OSMF database yet, so the record rests on registry entries alone. Registry entries describe intent to study, not outcomes.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Thyroid Cancer ranks 50 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Not applicable — surgical resection is standard; papillary microcarcinoma (<1 cm, low-risk): active surveillance achieves 99.8%+ cancer-specific survival at 10 years without immediate surgery in Japanese cohorts.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 24.0 (trials 4.0, literature 0.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 1 total: 0 recruiting, 1 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 0 |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | inhibitor; inhibitor |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | EGFR |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT02465060 | Targeted Therapy Directed by Genetic Testing in Treating Patients With Advanced Refractory Solid Tumors, Lymphomas, or Multiple Myeloma (The MATCH Screening Trial) 2015 | active, not recruiting | Phase 2 | 6,452 |
Published literature
No publication is linked to this pair yet.
Mechanism and notes
Recorded mechanism or class: inhibitor; inhibitor.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target EGFR. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Afatinib approved for Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated)?
Afatinib has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated) would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated). Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Afatinib in clinical trials for Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated)?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Afatinib to Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated): 1 is active or not yet recruiting. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT02465060). It plans or enrolled 6452 participants. Registered activity dates to 2015.
What does the evidence show for Afatinib in Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated)?
Trials of Afatinib in Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated) are registered but none has completed, so there is no outcome evidence from those studies yet; the record is a signal of research interest. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target EGFR. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-06. Page built 2026-10-07.