Mortality from thyroid cancer in patients with hyperthyroidism: the Theagenion Cancer Hospital experience.
BACKGROUND
Thyroid carcinoma has been reported in patients operated for different types of hyperthyroidism and the probability of a hot nodule being malignant seems to be low. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between thyroid cancer, hyperthyroidism and outcome in a large cohort of patients who presented to a tertiary cancer centre in Northern Greece.


METHODS
Among 720 patients treated for thyroid cancer, 60 had a concomitant diagnosis of hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease (n=14), solitary autonomous adenoma (n=17), or multinodular goiter (n=29). Adverse prognostic factors were common in patients with a previous history of hyperthyroidism at the time of diagnosis of thyroid cancer, including cases where the cancer was discovered coincidentally after thyroid surgery for hyperthyroidism and cases where tumor size was more than 10 mm.


RESULTS
In 10 out of 17 patients with hyperthyroidism due to solitary autonomous adenomas, the tumor was located within the hot nodule and two of these patients developed local and distant metastases and died from the disease 4 and 15 years after thyroidectomy.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinicians managing patients with hyperthyroidism need to be aware of the possible increased risk of thyroid cancer in this patient group.
Pazaitou-Panayiotou
Kalliopi
K
Department of Endocrinology-Endocrine Oncology, Theagenion Cancer Hospital, 2, Alexandrou Simeonidi Street, 54007 Thessaloniki, Greece. kpazaitou@in.gr
Perros
Petros
P
Boudina
Maria
M
Siardos
George
G
Drimonitis
Apostolos
A
Patakiouta
Frideriki
F
Vainas
Iraklis
I
D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016522:Oncology Service, Hospital / Q000639:trends; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology