Prognostic factors in papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.

In a retrospective study of 119 patients, followed for 1 to 30 years after treatment of a papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, the authors searched for possible prognostic factors of the risk of recurrence. Microcarcinomas, anaplastic tumors and Hürthle cell carcinomas were excluded from the study. In a univariate analysis, age (greater than 45 years), sex (male), loss of histologic differentiation, size (greater than 3 cm), presence of carcinomatous lymphangitis, extrathyroid extension, and presence of metastasis at diagnosis were associated with a higher recurrence rate; type of growth and multifocality were not significant.

Previous thyroid disease and risk of thyroid cancer in Switzerland.

A hospital-based case-control study of 86 cases of thyroid cancer and 317 controls was done in the Swiss Canton of Vaud. Patients with thyroid cancer tended to be better educated (odds ratio [OR] 2.1 for greater than or equal to 14 vs.

Can serum thyroglobulin predict the effect of thyroid hormone therapy on goitre growth?

Serum thyroglobulin and goitre size were followed in 22 patients with simple goitre or single thyroid nodules during 9 months of thyroxine therapy, to see whether alterations in serum thyroglobulin correlated with changes in goitre size. In the case of such a correlation serum thyroglobulin could be used to predict which goitres respond to thyroxine therapy and which require surgery. Pretreatment serum thyroglobulin was elevated in 11 patients.

Immunohistology of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. A study of 43 cases.

Forty-three cases of large cell anaplastic thyroid carcinoma were examined with various antisera. Four histological patterns were identified: spindle cell, giant cell, trabecular and squamous. In 38 cases the epithelial origin was demonstrated with various epithelial markers: 11 cases stained positively for thyroglobulin, 19 for T3 and/or T4, 35 for fat globule membrane antigens, 28 for keratin, 29 for lactoferrin, and one for calcitonin.

Unaltered glucose-induced thermogenesis in Graves' disease.

The thermogenic response to a 100-g oral glucose challenge was studied in 12 patients with Graves' disease using continuous indirect calorimetry. Seven hyperthyroid patients were reinvestigated under the same experimental conditions after medical therapy. The mean net increase in energy expenditure (delta EE) following the glucose challenge was the same in hyperthyroid patients as compared to a control group (delta EE = +0.