Carotid artery rupture following radioiodine therapy for differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Abstract

SUMMARY Introduction:Radioiodine therapy for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer aims at reducing tumor recurrence by eradicating residual macro-and microscopic foci. Side effects are generally rare, tenuous and transient, with little clinical significance. Objective: To report a rare case of differentiated thyroid carcinoma presenting a large expansive solid mass at the base of the skull, with invasion of the left masticatory muscle and adjacent subcutaneous tissue, and without invasion of the carotid space, which evolved to carotid artery rupture following radioiodine therapy. Discussion: Side effects are uncommon after radioiodine therapy and when present, have mild intensity. Serious adverse events are very rare, especially those arising from structures not directly invaded by metastatic tissue with radioiodine uptake, as occurred in this case. This occurrence serves to raise awareness of the need for increased care when using radioiodine therapy on high-avidity masses located close to important structures. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2011;55(6):419-25

Promoter methylation of p16 and RASSF1A genes may contribute to the risk of papillary thyroid cancer: A meta-analysis

“…Furthermore, the aberrant methylation of the p16 gene may give rise to the lack of p16 protein expression and affect its function, which may in turn provide a selective growth advantage for tumor cells, thereby contributing to an increased risk of PTC (16). Ras association domain family 1 isoform A (RASSF1A) is a microtubule-binding protein that regulates the activation of RAS effector pathways and has been suggested to contribute to maintaining genomic stability, stabilizing microtubules, as well as regulating cell cycle arrest and mitotic progression (17)(18)(19). The RASSF1A gene is located on the small arm of the human chromosome 3p21.3 within an area of common heterozygous and homozygous deletions, which occur frequently in a variety of human tumors (20,21).…”