Summary
Cetuximab 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 4 registered trials linking Cetuximab to Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated): 2 are currently recruiting; 1 has completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT01057589). The largest enrolment is 554 participants (NCT05786924). Registration activity spans 2010 to 2023. The literature layer holds 1 publication for this pair: 1 clinical trial publication. The dated items are from 2015. These are primary trial reports rather than syntheses, so results have not yet been pooled or graded independently.
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 | 33.0 (trials 11.0, literature 2.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 4 total: 2 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 1 completed, 1 other |
| Linked publications | 1 (1 clinical trial publication) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | inhibitor; antibody; antibody |
| 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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT01057589 | A Study for Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Squamous Cell Head and Neck Cancer 2010 | completed | Phase 2 | 66 |
| NCT05355701 | A Study to Learn About the Study Medicine Called PF-07799933 in People With Advanced Solid Tumors With BRAF Alterations. 2022 | recruiting | Phase 1 | 267 |
| NCT01552434 | Bevacizumab and Temsirolimus Alone or in Combination With Valproic Acid or Cetuximab in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Malignancy or Other Benign Disease 2012 | terminated | Phase 1 | 154 |
| NCT05786924 | Phase 1/2 Trial of S241656 in Selected RAS/MAPK Mutation- Positive Malignancies 2023 | recruiting | PHASE1, PHASE2 | 554 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Vemurafenib in Multiple Nonmelanoma Cancers with BRAF V600 MutationsHyman DM, Puzanov I, Subbiah V et al. · The New England journal of medicine · 2015 · PMID 26287849
Mechanism and notes
Recorded mechanism or class: inhibitor; antibody; antibody.
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 Cetuximab approved for Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated)?
Cetuximab 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 Cetuximab in clinical trials for Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated)?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 4 registered trials linking Cetuximab to Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated): 2 are currently recruiting; 1 has completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT01057589). The largest enrolment is 554 participants (NCT05786924). Registration activity spans 2010 to 2023.
What does the evidence show for Cetuximab in Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated)?
Cetuximab has 1 completed trial and 1 linked publication for Thyroid Cancer (Well-Differentiated). Completed trials may or may not have posted results; follow the NCT links to check. 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 2026-10-08.