Surgical Treatment of Thyroid Cancers With Concurrent Graves Disease

A Comparative Follow-Up Study of Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Associated or Not with Graves' Disease

Whether papillary carcinoma (PC) behavior is more aggressive in Graves’ disease (GD) patients than PC cases without GD is controversial. We retrospectively enrolled 33 thyroidectomized PC/GD patients during long-term follow-up, 23/33 without risk factors at surgery, and 18/33 microcarcinomas; 312 PC euthyroid-matched patients without risk factors served as controls. A total of 14/33 (42.4%) PC/GD patients, 4 with and 10 without risk factors at diagnosis, 6 with microcarcinoma, underwent metastases during follow-up. In controls, metastases in 21/312 (6.7%) were ascertained. Considering 10/23 PC/GD patients and 21/312 controls without risk factors who developed metastases, univariate analysis showed that there was an increased risk of metastasis appearance for PC/GD cases (p < 0.001). Disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly (p < 0.0001, log-rank test) shorter in PC/GD patients than in controls. Significantly more elevated aggressiveness in 6/18 PC/GD patients with microcarcinoma than in controls was also ascertained with shorter DFS. Thus, in the present study, PC/GD had aggressive behavior during follow-up also when carcinoma characteristics were favorable and some cases were microcarcinomas. GD and non-GD patient comparison in the cases without risk factors at diagnosis showed an increased risk to develop metastases in GD during follow-up, suggesting that GD alone might be a tumor aggressiveness predictive factor in these cases.

Frequency of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer in thyroidectomized patients with Graves' disease

INTRODUCTION

Incidental thyroid cancers are frequently detected in patients operated on for Graves' disease (GD). There are no clear data about the incidence and risk factors of incidental thyroid cancer in operated GD patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk of thyroid carcinoma in surgically treated GD patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The data of 121 GD patients who underwent total thyroidectomy in a single center between 2005 and 2015 were retrospectively evaluated. The diagnosis of thyroid cancer was based on pathological examination.

RESULTS

Thyroid cancer was demonstrated in postoperative pathology specimens of 34 patients who were surgically treated for GD (28.1%). Preoperative thyroid ultrasonography (USG) revealed a nodular goiter in 62 (51.2%) patients. Nodules were not detected in the other 59 (48.8%) patients with GD. The frequency of thyroid cancer was significantly higher in patients with nodules (38% vs. 16%; p = 0.009). Thirty-two of the 34 cancer cases had papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), and the remaining 2 had follicular thyroid cancer (FTC). Of the 32 PTC patients, 28 were classical type, 2 patients had the follicular variant, 1 was the oncocytic variant, and 1 was a tall cell variant.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of thyroid cancer was higher in patients who underwent surgery for GD. In addition to a careful physical examination in the follow-up of the patients with GD, ultrasonographic evaluation should be performed. Surgical treatment should not be delayed in patients with GD when indicated.

A Rare Coexistence of Medullary Thyroid Cancer with Graves Disease: A Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature

Patient: Male, 39

Final Diagnosis: Medullary thyroid cancer

Symptoms: Hyperthyroidism symptoms

Medication: —

Clinical Procedure: Total thyroidectomy

Specialty: Surgery

PROGNOSIS OF DIFFERENTIATED THYROID CARCINOMA IN PATIENTS WITH GRAVES DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Objective: It is still controversial whether differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) in patients with Graves disease (GD) can be more aggressive than non-Graves DTC. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the association between GD and prognosis in patients with DTC. Methods: We comprehensively searched the databases of MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to March 2019. We included published studies that compared the risk of mortality and prognosis between DTC patients with GD and those with non-GD. Data from each study were combined using the random-effects model. Results: Twenty-five studies from February 1988 to May 2018 were included (987 DTC patients with GD and 2,064 non-Graves DTC patients). The DTC patients with GD had a significantly higher risk of associated multifocality/multicentricity (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 2.02; I², 6.5%; P = .381) and distant metastasis at the time of cancer diagnosis (odds ratio, 2.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 4.47; I², 0.0%; P = .497), but this was not associated with DTC-related mortality and recurrence/persistence during follow-up. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis demonstrates a statistically significant increased risk of multifocality/multicentricity and distant metastasis at the time of cancer diagnosis in DTC patients with GD than those without GD. Abbreviations: CI = confidence interval; DTC = differentiated thyroid carcinoma; GD = Graves disease; LN = lymph node; OR = odds ratio; PTC = papillary thyroid carcinoma; TC = thyroid carcinoma; TSAb = thyroid-stimulating antibody; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone.

Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer in Graves' disease

OBJECTIVE

The frequency of thyroid nodules accompanying Graves' disease and the risk of thyroid cancer in presence of accompanying nodules are controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of thyroid nodules and the risk of thyroid cancer in patients operated because of graves' disease.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Five hundred and twenty-six patients in whom thyroidectomy was performed because of Graves' disease between 2006 and 2013 were evaluated retrospectively. Patients who had received radioactive iodine treatment and external irradiation treatment in the neck region and who had had thyroid surgery previously were not included in the study.

RESULTS

While accompanying thyroid nodule was present in 177 (33.6%) of 526 Graves' patients, thyroid nodule was absent in 349 (66.4%) patients. Forty-two (8%) patients had thyroid cancer. The rate of thyroid cancer was 5.4% (n = 19) in the Graves' patients who had no nodule, whereas it was 13% (n = 23) in the patients who had nodule. The risk of thyroid cancer increased significantly in presence of nodule (p = 0.003). Three patients had recurrence. No patient had distant metastasis. No patient died during the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

Especially Graves' patients who have been decided to be followed up should be evaluated carefully during the follow-up in terms of thyroid cancer which may accompany.

Thyroid carcinoma in patients with Graves' disease: an institutional experience

Graves' disease (GD) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by diffuse hyperplasia and excessive production of thyroid hormone. The association between thyroid carcinoma and GD is controversial. The prevalence of thyroid carcinoma was investigated in patients with GD who underwent thyroidectomy for thyroid nodular lesions or GD from 1994 to 2013 at our institution. Three hundred and forty-seven patients were placed into two groups: Graves' disease with nodular lesions group (group GN) included 85 patients who had thyroidectomy for nodular lesion, and Graves' disease group (group G) included 262 patients who had thyroidectomy for hyperthyroidism. There were 59 patients with thyroid carcinomas in the 85 patients (69 %) of group GN, including 3 follicular carcinomas (5 %), 1 poorly differentiated carcinoma (2 %), and 55 papillary thyroid carcinomas (93 %). Among the 55 papillary thyroid carcinomas, 19 cases were papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (34 %); and 5 cases of tall cell variant (9 %) were identified. There were 8 cases with lymph node metastasis (14 %), 6 cases with lymphovascular invasion (10 %), and 12 cases with extrathyroidal invasion (20 %). In addition, 24 carcinomas showed multiple foci of tumor (41 %). In contrast, 51 patients (19 %) of 262 patients in group G had carcinoma, including 2 follicular carcinomas (4 %) and 49 papillary thyroid carcinomas (96 %). In the 49 cases of papillary thyroid carcinomas, 47 cases were microcarcinomas (96 %); and 2 cases of tall cell variant (4 %) were found. There were no lymph node metastasis or lymphovascular and extrathyroidal invasion, but 11 cases (22 %) demonstrated multiple carcinoma foci. In conclusion, thyroid nodular lesions in patients with GD should raise a high suspicion of carcinoma, and these lesions are frequently clinically significant tumors. Incidental thyroid carcinomas in patients with GD are not uncommon, but most of them are low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma without lymph node metastasis or lymphovascular and extrathyroidal invasion.

Guidelines of the French society of endocrinology for the management of thyroid nodules

The present document is a follow-up of the clinical practice guidelines of the French Society of Endocrinology, which were established for the use of its members and made available to scientific communities and physicians. Based on a critical analysis of data from the literature, consensuses and guidelines that have already been published internationally, it constitutes an update of the report on the diagnostic management of thyroid nodules that was proposed in France, in 1995, under the auspices of the French National Agency for Medical Evaluation (l'Agence nationale d'évaluation médicale). The current guidelines were deliberated beforehand by a number of physicians that are recognised for their expertise on the subject, coming from the specialities of endocrinology (the French Thyroid Research Group) and surgery (the French Association for Endocrine Surgery), as well as representatives from the fields of biology, ultrasonography, cytology and nuclear medicine. The guidelines were presented and submitted for the opinion of the members of the Society at its annual conference, which was held in Nice from 7-10 October 2009. The amended document was posted on the website of the Society and benefited from additional remarks of its members. The final version that is presented here was not subjected to methodological validation. It does not claim to be universal in its scope and will need to be revised in concert with progress made in technical and developmental concepts. It constitutes a document that the Society deems useful for distribution concerning the management of thyroid nodules, which is current, efficient and cost effective.

Clinical review: Incidentally discovered medullary thyroid cancer: diagnostic strategies and treatment

CONTEXT

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is diagnosed only after thyroidectomy in approximately 10-15% of cases. This delay in diagnosis can have adverse consequences such as missing underlying pheochromocytoma or hyperparathyroidism in unrecognized multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 and choosing a suboptimal extent of surgery. Barriers to accurate preoperative diagnosis and management strategies after the discovery of occult MTC are reviewed.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

We reviewed PubMed (1975-September 2010) using the search terms medullary carcinoma, calcitonin, multinodular goiter, Graves' disease, calcium/diagnostic use, and pentagastrin/diagnostic use.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

The combined prevalence of occult MTC in thyroidectomy series is approximately 0.3%. Routine calcitonin measurement in goiter patients identifies C-cell hyperplasia as well as MTC. Challenges include interpreting intermediate values and unavailability of pentagastrin stimulation testing in the United States. Early studies have begun to identify appropriate cutoff values for calcium-stimulated calcitonin. For management of incidentally discovered MTC, we highlight the role of early measurement of calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen, RET testing, and comprehensive neck ultrasound exam to direct further imaging, completion thyroidectomy, and lymph node dissection.

CONCLUSIONS

Occult MTC is an uncommon, but clinically significant entity. If calcium stimulation testing cutoff data become well-validated, calcitonin screening would likely become more widely accepted in the diagnostic work-up for thyroid nodules in the United States. Among patients with incidental MTC, those with persistently elevated serum calcitonin levels, positive RET test, or nodal disease are good candidates for completion thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection in selected cases, whereas patients with undetectable calcitonin, negative RET testing, and no sonographic abnormalities often may be watched conservatively.

Clinicopathologic features and treatment outcomes in differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients with concurrent Graves' disease

The clinical behaviors and treatment outcomes of thyroid carcinomas in patients with Graves' disease is a matter of controversy. This study aimed to identify the clinicopathologic features, treatment outcome, and the indicators for predicting recurrence, and to suggest the optimal extent of surgery in these patients. We retrospectively analyzed data of 58 patients who underwent surgical treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer and concurrent Graves' disease. The follow-up period ranged from 23 to 260 months (mean+/-standard deviation, 116.8+/-54.0). In our series, the mean age was 40.8+/-12.7 yr (range, 15-70), with a male-to-female ratio of 1: 6.25. The mean tumor size was 13+/-9 mm (range, 3-62). The surgical methods included 19 cases of total thyroidectomy, 38 cases of subtotal thyroidectomy, and 1 case of completion total thyroidectomy. Locoregional recurrence occurred in four patients (6.9%). The 10-yr overall survival and disease-free survival of patients were 95.8% and 91.1%, respectively. Age over 45 yr (p=0.031), tumor size over 10 mm (p=0.049), multiplicity (p=0.007), extracapsular invasion (p=0.021), and clinical cancer (p=0.035) were significantly more prevalent in patients with locoregional recurrence than in those without recurrence. We recommend that Graves' disease patients should undergo regular ultrasonography screening for early detection of thyroid carcinoma. We also suggest that the choice of extent of surgery should depend on the diagnostic timing (clinical or incidental) and factors for predicting recurrence.

Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the thyroid: review of the literature with two new cases

Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of thyroid is extremely rare. Only three cases have been reported. We report two cases of this rare disease. Case 1 was a 70-year-old woman who had Graves' disease and a growing 3.5-cm thyroid nodule with constrictive symptoms. Fine-needle aspiration cytology showed suspicious atypical cells. She had a total thyroidectomy; frozen section showed sarcoma. Final pathology showed malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Case 2 was a 67-year-old woman who had a 5-cm thyroid nodule that rapidly grew, causing tracheal deviation. A diagnostic lobectomy and pathology showed malignant fibrous histiocytoma. She then had a completion total thyroidectomy. Neither patient had metastatic lesions found by whole body gallium scans, computerized tomographic scans, and neck sonography. Both patients had postoperative radiotherapy and were alive and without recurrence at 6 months follow-up.

Thyroid nodules: Does the suspicion for malignancy really justify the increased thyroidectomy rates?

Thyroid nodules are frequently diagnosed today, mainly due to the wide use of neck ultrasonography (US). The majority of these are benign; suspicion for malignancy is an indication for surgery, while benign thyroid nodules may be managed conservatively. There is evidence that a large percentage of patients with thyroid nodules (many diagnosed incidentally) are over-treated. Careful and accurate identification of patients with thyroid nodules highly suspicious for underlying malignancy would allow a more reasonable therapeutic approach and would result in a reduction of the number of unnecessary thyroidectomies. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), in conjunction with high-resolution thyroid US, are currently the most accurate and cost-effective diagnostic approach for the evaluation of patients with nodular thyroid disease. Radionuclide thyroid scanning should be used selectively. By increasing the use of FNAC, it is expected that the number of unnecessary thyroidectomies will be further diminished, thereby avoiding over-treatment, without exposing the patients to the risk of under-treatment for a highly curable cancer. However, accurate preoperative diagnosis of thyroid cancer within a thyroid nodule is not always possible and, although the problem of unnecessary surgery can further be diminished, it cannot be completely eliminated.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma associated with Graves' disease

This report concerns a 79-year-old woman with coexisting anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) and Graves' disease (GD). The patient was referred to our clinic because of palpitation and a palpable mass on the left side of her neck. Thyroid function tests showed hyperthyroidism with elevated thyroid-stimulating antibodies. Ultrasonography of the thyroid demonstrated an adenomatous nodule-like marcated nodule (27.6 x 26.5 x 36.4 mm) with cystic degeneration inside the left lobe. (123)I thyroid scintigraphic imaging showed a cold area corresponding to the nodule with continuous uptake in the remaining thyroid tissue despite suppressed TSH levels. These findings led to a diagnosis of GD. On the other hand, the thyroid nodule could not be definitely diagnosed even after fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) which produced findings suggestive of both papillary thyroid carcinoma and ATC. Open biopsy of the nodule showed an ATC. Regional lymph node metastases as well as multiple lung metastases, which could not be found at the initial visit, had been already developed by that time. Our case is pathophysiologically interesting because it suggests that GD or thyroid-stimulating antibodies (TSAb) may stimulate malignant transformation of differentiated carcinoma. It is also clinically important because it indicates that all thyroid nodules, particularly palpable cold nodules, associated with GD require careful management to detect malignancy because they are at higher risk of harboring malignancy.