Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction and objectives: Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) is a rare but aggressive thyroid tumor. PDTC frequently presents in advanced stages and conventional treatments are usually less effective than in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Lenvatinib is a multi-kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of radioiodine-refractory DTC, with significant improvement in progression free survival. Despite the inclusion of a minority PDTC patients in SELECT tr...

The Sodium Iodide Symporter (NIS) is responsible for active transport of iodide into thyroid cells. Its expression in thyroid tumors allows the use of radioactive iodine (131I) as co-adjuvant therapeutic tool to eliminate remaining tumor cells and metastases after total thyroidectomy. Nevertheless, certain subsets of patients with advanced forms of thyroid cancer lose the ability to respond to radioiodine therapy, which drastically reduces their survival rates. Recent studies ...

Introduction: Pheochromocytomas are tumors derived from the adrenal-medullary chromaffin cells that normally produce catecholamines. Rarely these tumors are non-secreting. In the assessment of a suspected pheochromocytoma, guidelines recommend dosing urinary or plasma metanephrines.Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of pheochromocytomas biochemically non-secreting and their differences.Methods: We searched all patients with meas...

Introduction: Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT; with anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb)) and Graves’ disease (GD; with TSH receptor antibodies (TRAbs)) are frequent autoimmune disorders responsible for thyroid dysfunction. There are two types of TRAbs, the ones that stimulate the thyroid (TSAb) causing Graves’ hyperthyroidism and those that block thyrotropin action (TBAb) being occasionally responsible for hypothyroidism. Unusual patients switch from TSAb to TBAb (o...

Estrogen-producing adrenal gland tumors (EPAGT) are extremely rare, accounting for only 1–2% of all adrenal tumors. They are most commonly observed in men or in children, and are unusual in women. They are almost always malignant even if they seem benign at presentation, and most of them have a poor prognosis. We present a case of a 71-year-old man with painful bilateral gynecomastia, without galactorrhea, over 4 months. Markedly elevated plasma estradiol levels were foun...

Introduction: Hypocalcaemia is a potential post-thyroidectomy complication. Patients with previous Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGBP) are at increased risk of symptomatic hypocalcaemia refractory to treatment. This complication is rare and there is not consensus on how to act.Clinic case: Female with 34 years old, with a history of Obesity (BMI 45.7 kg/m2), submitted to RYGBP in 2013, with a total loss of 47 kg (current BMI 27.3 kg/m2...

Introduction: The hyperthyroidism is a risk factor for tachyarrhythmia and dilated cardiomyopathy. Amiodarone is an effective antiarrhythmic medication, however if coexisting thyroid pathology complicates the treatment of thyroid dysfunction. It presents a case of Graves’ disease (GD) of long evolution, which illustrates the complexity of these associations. Clinical case: man, 44 years old, smoker, history of acute myocardial infarction and GD diagnosed at age 28. Has ma...

Introduction: Clinical inertia applied to type2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) treatment, is defined as a lack of treatment’s intensification of patients who are not in HbA1c target. Clinical inertia leads to a postponement of new therapeutic introduction, with all complications associated with a poor metabolic control. In Portugal there are only studies that show good or poor metabolic control but do not mention clinician’s attitude towards these values. Recently publishe...

Introduction: The SGLT-2 inhibitors (InibSGLT2) are the newest class of non-insulin antidiabetic drugs (ANI) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatment. Currently is only available in Portugal, dapagliflozin. This pharmacological class have shown benefits in metabolic control (reduction of 0.5–0.8% HbA1c) and in weight loss (1–3 kg).Objective: Evaluate the impact of InibSGLT2 in patients with T2DM followed in a Diabetes department.<p cla...

Introduction: The prevalence of palpable nodules varies between 3–7% and nodules diagnosed by ultrasonography between 20–76%. According to the American Thyroid Association’s guidelines it isn’t recommended to perform routine thyroid ultrasound for thyroid nodules diagnosis, unless they are palpable or there are any risk factors.Objective: Evaluation of sonographic and cytological differences between palpable and non-palpable thyroid n...