Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Radiodine (131I) is widely used in the treatment of patients with thyroid cancer. This therapy is associated with some adverse effects including possible impairment of ovarian function and earlier menopause.Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate female fertility after treatment with 131I of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).Methods: We retrospectively analysed 250 women with DTC treat...

Background: The different systems for monitoring capillary blood glucose levels may suffer interference from various substances.Case report: Male patient, 48 years old, with history of hypertension, dyslipidemia and previous smoking. He presented also type 1 diabetes mellitus, with 37 years of progress, with diabetic retinopathy, kidney failure, in peritoneal dialysis since 2009, and ischemic heart disease (myocardial infarction in 2005). He was treated ...

Introduction: Recently, the American Diabetes Association has proposed glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) as a diagnostic criteria for diabetes (HbA1c≥6.5%) and prediabetes (5.7%≤HbA1c≤6.4%).Aims: To compare HbA1c with fasting glucose and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) as diagnostic criteria for diabetes and prediabetes, in obese patients; to calculate its sensitivity and specificity when compared with standard diagnostic criteria.<p c...

Introduction: POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy and skin changes) syndrome is a rare multisystemic disease. Diagnosis requires two major criteria and at least one minor criterion. Major criteria include polineuropathy and a monoclonal plasma proliferative disorder (almost always lambda). Minor criteria include osteosclerotic bone lesions, Castleman disease, organomegaly (including lymphadenopathy), oedema, pleural effusion or ascites, e...

Introduction: Ectopic Cushing’s syndrome is a rare disease, with a reported incidence of 0.1/million per year. This disorder accounts for approximately 12–17% of patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome. Small cell lung carcinoma is responsible for about 20% of cases, although ectopic ACTH hypersecretion occurs in only 0.5–2% of these tumours. Hypercortisolaemia is usually severe and of rapid onset. Optimal treatment is surgical excision of the tumou...

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...

Introduction: The recognition of thyroid microcarcinoma has been increasing in recent years probably as a result of the widespread use of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNAB) of small non palpable nodules and possibly of a more extensive histological examination.Objectives: To describe clinical and histological characteristics of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma and compare them according to its size (< or ≥5 mm).<p clas...

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...