AITD = autoimmune thyroid disease; ER = oestrogen receptor; FNA = fine-needle aspiration; T 3 = triiodothyronine; T 4 = thyroxine; TSH = thyroidstimulating hormone; TPO = thyroid peroxidase. Breast Cancer ResearchVol 5 No 5 Turken et al. Research article Breast cancer in association with thyroid disorders Methods:Clinical and ultrasound evaluation of thyroid gland, determination of serum thyroid hormone and antibody levels, and fine-needle aspiration of thyroid gland were performed in 150 breast cancer patients and 100 control individuals. Results:The mean values for anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies were significantly higher in breast cancer patients than in control individuals (P = 0.030). The incidences of autoimmune and nonautoimmune thyroid diseases were higher in breast cancer patients than in control individuals (38% versus 17%, P = 0.001; 26% versus 9%, P = 0.001, respectively). Conclusion:Our results indicate an increased prevalence of autoimmune and nonautoimmune thyroid diseases in breast cancer patients.

No abstract

In the last decade, studies were first done to determine the frequency of Gsalpha and later thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) mutations in benign autonomously functioning thyroid nodules (AFTN). Different frequencies ranging from 0% to 38% for GSp mutations and from 20% to 86% for TSHR mutations were found. There were only some limited case reports related to TSHR genetic alterations in malignant AFTN. Their role in autonomously functioning thyroid carcinomas is not well established. We present a patient who had thyroidectomy for toxic multinodular goiter and a papillary carcinoma was demonstrated histopathologically. Genomic DNA was isolated from two solid areas in the hot nodule and peripheral leukocytes of the patient. After amplifying the related regions, TSHR and GSalpha genes were analyzed by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. The precise localization of the mutations was identified by automatic DNA sequence analysis. An activating mutation of the TSHR gene (Leu 512 Arg) was found in the autonomously functioning papillary carcinoma. It is believed that this mutation causes constitutive activation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signal transduction pathway and thereby causes thyrotoxicosis and a hot thyroid nodule in an autonomously functioning papillary carcinoma.

No abstract

Gastric carcinoma is reported to be more frequent in geographical areas where diets are either iodine-deficient or iodineexcessive. Reports have also shown an association between thyroid diseases and some of the risk factors for gastric carcinoma. We investigated the frequency of thyroid disorders in 61 patients with gastric carcinoma compared with 55 healthy control subjects. Thyroid health was evaluated by physical examination and by measuring the serum levels of thyroid hormones and thyroid autoantibodies.More patients with gastric cancer had goitre compared with healthy controls (49.1% versus 20%, respectively). Significantly more patients with gastric cancer had non-toxic goitre compared with control subjects. There was also a significant difference in the incidence of autoimmune thyroid disease -27.8% of patients with gastric cancer versus 10.9% of control subjects were affected. These results indicate that there is a significant association between gastric cancer and thyroid disorders.