Summary Circulating neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and chromogranin A (CgA) were measured in 128 patients with neuroendocrine tumours (NET) to compare their sensitivity and specificity, to investigate factors associated with elevated serum levels and to determine the usefulness of these markers in the follow-up of NET patients. NSE (Cispack NSE, Cis Bio Intemational, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; normal <12.5 gig h1), and chromogranin A (CgA-Riact, Cis Bio Intemational, normal <100 jig 1-') were measured in 128 patients without renal insufficiency.There were 99 patients with gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) NET, 19 with medullary thyroid carcinoma and ten with phaeochromocytoma. Fiftythree patients with non-NET were studied as controls. Serum NSE and CgA levels were elevated in 48 (38%) and 76 (59%) of the 128 NET patients respectively. In all groups of NET patients, CgA proved to be more sensitive than NSE. NSE and CgA had a specificity of 73°o and 68% respectively. Immunostaining for NSE was positive in three out of eight controls with elevated CgA levels, whereas immunostaining for CgA and synaptophysin was negative in all cases. Elevated CgA levels were significantly associated with two independent parameters, namely the presence of other secretions (P= 0.0001) and a heavy tumour burden (P= 0.001). Elevated NSE levels were exclusively associated with poor tumour differentiation (P= 0.01). Among six patients with NET followed for 11-37 months. CgA appeared to be a better marker of tumour evolution than NSE. We suggest that CgA ought to be the only general marker screened in NET patients.

The relationship between thyroid dysfunction and breast cancer (BC) is debated. To clarify this controversial issue, a prospective study on thyroid function in BC was performed. The prevalence of thyroid disease was examined in 102 consecutive BC patients with ductal infiltrating carcinoma after surgery and before starting any chemohormonal or x-ray therapy and in 100 age-matched control healthy women living in the same borderline iodine-sufficient geographic area. All subjects were submitted to clinical ultrasound thyroid evaluation and serum free T4, free T3, TSH, thyroperoxidase antibody, and thyroglobulin antibody determination. Fine needle aspiration was performed in all thyroid nodules. Estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR, respectively) were assayed in 92 and 55 BC specimens, respectively. The overall prevalence of thyroid disease was 47 in 102 (46%) in BC patients and 14 in 100 (14%) in controls (P < 0.0001). The prevalence of nontoxic goiter was 27.4% in BC patients and 11% in controls (P = 0.003). Hashimoto's thyroiditis was found in 13.7% of BC patients and in only 2% of the controls (P < 0.005). Other thyroid disorders found in the BC group included 2 cases of Graves' disease, 2 of thyroid carcinoma, and 1 of subacute thyroiditis, whereas in the control group only 1 case of Graves' disease and none of the other disorders were found. Mean free T3, free T4, and TSH concentrations showed no difference between BC patients and controls. The prevalence of thyroperoxidase antibody was higher in BC patients than in controls (23.5% vs. 8%; P < 0.005), whereas the prevalence of thyroglobulin antibody was not different. In BC patients the presence of thyroid antibodies was more frequently associated with clinically detectable autoimmune thyroiditis (14 of 26, 51.8%; P = 0.03) and was more common in the younger group. The positivity of ER was found in 51 of 92 (55.43%) and that of PR was found in 26 of 55 (47.27%) BC specimens. No relationship was found among ER, PR status, and the presence of serum thyroid antibodies. In conclusion, 1) the present study provides evidence that the overall prevalence of thyroid disorders is increased in patients with breast cancer, and 2) thyroid autoimmune disorders, especially Hashimoto's thyroiditis, account to a large extent for the increased prevalence of thyroid disease in patients with breast cancer. This feature is independent from the ER and PR status of the primary tumor. The present findings call attention to the usefulness of screening for thyroid disease in any patient with breast cancer.

Several authors have demonstrated the presence of estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) in thyroid tissue, generally using dextran coated charcoal method (DCCA). The aim of the study was to measure ER and PR in thyroid specimens using an immunoenzymatic method, and to evaluate the meaning of different prevalence of ER and PR in malignant and benign thyroid disease, as compared with normal thyroid tissue. We have measured ER and PR in thyroid tissue from 28 benign and 20 malignant thyroid lesions, and in 38 samples of surrounding normal thyroid tissues. The sensitivity of ER-EIA and PR-EIA was 1.0 and 1.5 fmol/mg protein, respectively. In thyroid carcinoma the frequency of ER positivity (ER+) was 7/20 (35%); it was significantly higher in the surrounding normal tissue (15/20; 71%) (p = 0.03). In benign thyroid disease, the prevalence of ER+ was 11/28 (39%) and in the surrounding normal tissue it was 11/18 (61%) (p = not significant). PR+ was detected in 7/20 (35%) thyroid cancers and in 15/28 (53%) benign lesions without significant difference with the frequency detected in the surrounding normal tissues. ER and PR concentrations (mean +/- SD) in thyroid cancer was 2.2 +/- 2.2 and 2.2 +/- 2.9 respectively, similarly to that detected in benign thyroid disease and in normal tissue. The simultaneous presence of ER and PR (ER+PR+) was also evaluated. We have found that the frequency of ER+ PR+ was significantly higher in benign lesions (8/28; 28.6%) as compared with malignant samples (1/20; 5%) (p < 0.05); the frequency of ER+PR+ was significantly higher in normal tissue surrounding the malignant lesions (9/20; 45) (p = 0.003). Our data indicate i) EIA method is appropriate to detect ER and PR in thyroid tissue. ii) The frequency of ER+ and ER+PR+ specimens is significantly higher in normal thyroid tissue than in pathologic tissues. This indicates that ER and PR immunoassays may be useful tools to evaluate the normal biological activity of thyroid cells.

The presence of sexual steroid receptor proteins in thyroid tissue has been previously demonstrated by biochemical means. The aim of this study was to determine the estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors in malignant (12 papillary and 1 follicular carcinoma) and nonmalignant (19 multinodular goiters, 1 Graves' disease, 1 Hashimoto's thyroiditis) thyroid diseases using immunocytochemical assay employing monoclonal anti-ER and anti-PR antibodies and the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. Positive results were obtained in 24/34 (70%) for ER (ER-ICA+) and 22/34 (64%) for PR (PR-ICA+). To evaluate the possible interference of thyroperoxidase in the immunostaining, in consecutive sections of a positive specimen, primary antibody or primary antibody plus bridging antibody or PAP complex was omitted. Using these modified procedures, staining distribution was similar to that obtained by the standard procedure: in contrast, no staining was found in the positive control, i.e. a breast cancer specimen. The inhibition of the endogenous peroxidase caused a loss of staining in both the standard and modified procedures on thyroid specimens; no staining modification was obtained in the positive control. These results suggest that the staining observed in thyroid tissue is not specific and related to the activity of thyroperoxidase on chromogen solution. The complete loss of staining after peroxidase inhibition appears to be in contrast with the results obtained by biochemical method, and different antigenicity of thyroid receptors in comparison with breast receptors may explain this discrepancy.

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