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Retrospective clinicopathological study of 125 thyroid carcinoma cases followed for 9 to 19 years was performed. Case selection for unfavorable histologic type and advanced disease was observed for referred cases. All medullary and anaplastic tumors were in patients over age 40; younger patients all had papillary and follicular carcinoma. Actuarial survival rates showed favorable outcome for papillary carcinoma followed by follicular and medullary or anaplastic tumors. Within the papillary carcinoma group, older age and male sex adversely affected survival; the former appeared related to clinical stage at presentation. Clinically palpable papillary carcinomas that were poorly circumscribed or showed vascular invasion were associated with poorer survival than tumors without these features. For papillary carcinomas under 1.5 cm, soft tissue invasion, vascular invasion, and occult lymph node metastases did not effect disease free survival. Two deaths from thyroid cancer were observed in this group, however, in patients who presented initially with distant metastases. The biology of these small lesions is briefly discussed.

A microcomputer program for rapidly interpreting and reporting sequential creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes written in BASIC is described. The program uses a combination of algorithmic logic and matrix-searching functions, correlates abnormalities from up to three patient samples, and arrives at a pattern diagnosis. Program execution is simple and has proved reliable in 1,000 samples from a large university hospital and a medium-sized community hospital.

A simple BASIC computer program for interpreting two serologic markers of hepatitis A virus infection and five serologic markers of hepatitis B virus infection is described. The program is based on a two-dimensional matrix (table) containing all possible combinations of positive and negative test results with their associated interpretations. Clinically relevant reports are consistent, reliable, and legible. Sample reports are included.

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