Is screening for thyroid carcinoma indicated in familial adenomatous polyposis? The Leeds Castle Polyposis Group.
Forty-five polyposis patients with thyroid carcinoma constituted 1.2% of the patients in the Leeds Castle Polyposis Group database. The patients were diagnosed during 1959-1995; 44 were females at a median age of 25 years (range 10-40) and 37 (82%) had papillary carcinoma. At the end of 1995 only one patient (9%) had died from thyroid carcinoma, and the ten-year cumulative survival was 84% (95% confidence limits 72-97). Due to the low incidence of thyroid carcinoma in FAP and the good prognosis we do not recommend a regular thyroid screening in polyposis, as this is unlikely to result in a reduction of the mortality, but will only aggravate existing cancrophobia in these strained patients.
Bülow
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Danish Polyposis Register, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Hyidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Bülow
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D011125:Adenomatous Polyposis Coli / Q000150:complications*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality