Oncolytic virotherapy for anaplastic thyroid cancer: mechanisms, challenges, and future prospects

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) remains one of the most aggressive and treatment-resistant forms of thyroid cancer, with a near-zero 5-year survival rate. This review explores the potential of oncolytic virotherapy as a novel treatment approach for ATC. It discusses the mechanisms by which oncolytic viruses selectively target and lyse cancer cells, stimulating both innate and adaptive immune responses. The review highlights the challenges facing current virotherapy strategies, including biosafety concerns, limited bioavailability due to the blood-brain barrier, and potential adaptive immune resistance. To address these limitations, the author examines promising improvements in virus delivery and efficacy, such as focused ultrasound techniques, nanotechnology-based delivery systems, and combination therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cells. By integrating these advancements, oncolytic virotherapy shows potential to overcome the current treatment barriers in ATC, offering hope for improved patient outcomes. This review underscores the rapid progress in the field and emphasizes the need for continued research to optimize oncolytic virotherapy for ATC treatment.