Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) are approved for the treatment of several cancers and can induce hypothyroidism by unclarified mechanisms.Objectives: To assess the prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients treated with TKIs.Methods: Retrospective review of clinical records of patients treated with TKIs in our institution between 2003 and 2009. We evaluated parameters such as sex, oncologic pathology, TKI used, TSH an...

Introduction: Procalcitonin (PCT) is currently used as a sepsis marker. Studies have shown that this prohormone is elevated in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and, additionally, that its assay could have less limitation than calcitonin (CT).Objective: To evaluate the concordance between the values of CT and PCT.Methods: CT, PCT and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were measured in a total of 57 subjects. CEA and CT we...

Pheochromocytomas are rare, catecholamine-secreting, adrenal neoplasms. In about 25% of cases they arise in patients with germline mutations. Malignancy occurs in about 10%.We retrospectively analysed the records of patients with histological diagnosis of pheochromocytoma submitted to adrenal surgery between 1987–2008 and followed in the Endocrinology department.Thirteen patients were included. We evaluated age on diagnosis; c...

Prolactin is mainly found in the monomeric form although it can also occur in the big-PRL and bigbigPRL (bbPRL) form: a complex of prolactin and immunoglobulin G. The latter has reduced bioactivity despite maintaining its imunorreactivity. This can cause false positive results representing the main cause of interassay variability in prolactin measurement. It should therefore be considered in every study concerning hyperprolactinemia. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of bbPR...

Introduction: Just-glomerular tumours (reninomas) are rare causes of secondary hypertension (HT). They typically present with difficult to manage-HT, hypokalemia, hyperreninemia and secondary hyperaldosteronism. They are usually small lesions (<1 cm) and are more common in adolescents or young adults. Despite being rare, they should be considered in the diagnostic approach of secondary HT, as it they are a potentially curable cause.Case report: Femal...

Introduction: The TNM classification of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is the most widely used thyroid cancer staging system. The 8th edition was published in 2016 and introduced modifications to the N0 classification. Histological analysis is no longer necessary for patients to be classified as N0, as long as there is no evidence of lymph node (LN) metastasis in the preoperative imaging tests or clinical eva...

Introduction: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A syndrome (MEN 2A) is caused by a germline mutation in the RET proto-oncogene and its phenotype includes medullary thyroid cancer, pheochromocytoma and primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Parathyroid reimplantation in the sternocleidomastoid muscle or in the brachioradial muscle can be performed in case of intraoperative lesion of the parathyroid glands. In some cases, PHPT may occur due to the proliferation of autotransplanted...

IntroductionThe measurement of serum thyroglobulin (Tg), a glycoprotein produced exclusively by follicular thyroid cells, is an important tumour marker used in the follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) and residual or recurrent disease. However, its role as a screening tool before thyroid surgery is not yet defined, as benign conditions can result in its increase.ObjectiveThe aim o...

Introduction: Riedel’s thyroiditis (RT) is a rare chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a dense fibrosis that replaces normal thyroid parenchyma. The most common manifestation is a stony hard thyroid mass, commonly associated with compressive symptoms. Histological confirmation is essential for diagnosis and the main differential diagnosis is the anaplastic thyroid cancer. The management is challenging and there is no agreed standard treatment, since only a few ca...

Introduction: Struma ovarii is a rare form of ovarian teratoma mostly composed of thyroid tissue. In about 5% of the cases, well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma may arise in struma ovarii. As this medical entity is so exceptional, there is still no consensus on diagnosis and treatment.Case Reports: A 52-year-old old woman was submitted in 2009 to total hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Histopathology r...