The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in women with differentiated thyroid cancer.

Introduction: We studied the function of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in females with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and its sequelae on metabolism and cardiovascular risk.

Methods And Results: Sixteen women were investigated with (1) morning, evening, and midnight cortisol and adrenocortophic hormone, (2) cortisol after overnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test, (3) cortisol after corticotropin releasing hormone test, (4) oral glucose tolerance test with glucose and insulin estimations, and (5) ultrasound for carotid intima media thickness. A matched control group underwent similar investigations.

Cervical masses as manifestation of papillary thyroid carcinomas

Background: Papillary thyroid microcarcinomas are tumors often found accidentally after thyroidectomy for other thyroid disorders.

Methods: Patients with enlarged lateral cervical masses, with unknown thyroid disease, found to have metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma
Results: Group A included 24 patients with an enlarged lateral cervical mass whereas group B included 30 patients presenting with nodular or multinodular goiter.

Mortality from thyroid cancer in patients with hyperthyroidism: the Theagenion Cancer Hospital experience.

Background: Thyroid carcinoma has been reported in patients operated for different types of hyperthyroidism and the probability of a hot nodule being malignant seems to be low. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between thyroid cancer, hyperthyroidism and outcome in a large cohort of patients who presented to a tertiary cancer centre in Northern Greece.

Patients: Among 720 patients treated for thyroid cancer, 60 had a concomitant diagnosis of hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease (n=14), solitary autonomous adenoma (n=17), or multinodular goiter (n=29).

Ectopic Cushing's syndrome due to CRH secreting liver metastasis in a patient with medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Ectopic production of CRH by a medullary thyroid carcinoma or its metastases is a rare cause of ectopic Cushing's syndrome (ECS). We report a 45-year old male with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), who, 24 years following the initial diagnosis, presented with clinical and biochemical evidence of an ACTH dependent Cushing's syndrome. Rapid deterioration of his clinical condition and elevated cortisol levels were observed.

Growth hormone-binding protein is directly and IGFBP-3 is inversely associated with risk of female breast cancer.

Objective: Several components of the GH and IGF systems have been implicated in the development of malignancies. All components of these hormonal systems have never been jointly evaluated in female breast cancer, and previous studies have not examined the role of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP-4, IGFBP-6) or GH-binding protein (GHBP).

Design: Hospital-based case-control study.

Thyroid carcinoma in children and adolescents: presentation, clinical course, and outcome of therapy in 23 children and adolescents in Northern Greece.

Objective: To define clinical presentation, surgical complications, follow-up characteristics, and survival of 23 children and adolescents with thyroid carcinoma.

Design: Retrospective analysis of data of 23 children and adolescents with thyroid carcinoma cared for in the Theagenion Cancer Hospital, Thessaloniki.

Results: At the time of diagnosis cervical lymph node metastases were present in 18 (78.

Use of a thin-layer technique in thyroid fine needle aspiration.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of the ThinPrep Processor (Cytyc Corporation, Boxborough, Massachusetts, U.S.A) in fine needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid gland lesions.

Cerebellar metastasis as first metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Brain metastasis is an uncommon complication of differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Even more, cerebellar metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are exceptional. We report a 69-year-old male patient with infiltrative PTC who developed high levels of thyroglobulin (Tg) and deteriorated neurological symptoms four years after the initial diagnosis.

Efficient testing of the RET gene by DHPLC analysis for MEN 2 syndrome in a cohort of patients.

Background: Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2) is an autosomal dominant inherited syndrome characterized by a strong predisposition for developing endocrine tumors. MEN 2 is caused by germline mutations in the ret proto-oncogene. We investigated the feasibility of using the DHPLC technique in mutation detection of the ret gene in members of MTC families.

The therapeutic value of SST-A octreotide alone or with adjuvant treatment in patients with advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma and positive (111)In-octreotide scan.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) as a neuroendocrine tumour arising from C cells of the thyroid gland secrets hormonal peptides; among them, calcitonine (CT) and carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA). These two peptides are used for the diagnosis and treatment response of MTC cases. In patients with advanced MTC, scintigraphy by [(111)In-DTPA-d-phe1]-octreotide is able to detect somatostatin receptors (SSTR) and thus identify regional lymph nodes and/or distal metastases.

Pituitary metastasis of follicular thyroid carcinoma.

Objective: The case of a 60-year-old male patient with follicular thyroid cancer who developed a pituitary mass proved to be a metastasis from thyroid cancer.

Methods: Assessment with whole-body scan, ultrasound, computed tomography and thyroglobulin measurements.

Results: Despite surgery and repeated doses of radioiodine, the patient developed diplopia and ptosis of the right eyelid, along with increasing thyroglobulin levels.

Primary tuberculosis of the thyroid gland: report of three cases.

We report on three cases with rapidly increasing thyroid masses who were referred with the provisional diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma. In the two cases, the diagnosis of tuberculosis was established after thyroidectomy, but in the third case diagnosis was made pre-operatively with acid fast bacilli (AFB) staining and culture from fine needle aspiration (FNA) material. Although rare, tuberculosis of the thyroid gland should be included in the differential diagnosis of thyroid masses.