FDA approves Cometriq to treat rare type of thyroid cancer | cnbnews

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Cometriq (cabozantinib) to treat medullary thyroid cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastasized).

Medullary thyroid cancer develops in cells in the thyroid gland that make a hormone called calcitonin, which helps maintain a healthy level of calcium in the blood. This type of cancer may occur spontaneously or in families with certain genetic mutations that result in one or more cancers of the endocrine system, including the thyroid gland.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 56,460 Americans will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer and 1,780 will die from the disease in 2012. About 4 percent of thyroid cancers are medullary thyroid cancer, making it one of the rarer types of thyroid cancers.