title: Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma might progress during pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Papillary thyroid cancer occasionally occurs in women of childbearing age. As papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) rarely grows or becomes clinically apparent, observation without surgery is an appropriate strategy for patients with low-risk PTMC. Human chorionic gonadotropin possesses weak thyroid-stimulating activity. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of pregnancy on PTMC.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 9 patients with PTMC who became pregnant between 2005 and 2011. Twenty-seven age-matched nonpregnant female PTMC patients from a database we used in our previous report served as controls. Tumor enlargement was defined as an increase in the diameter of the tumor of 3 mm or more.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PTMC enlargement occurred in 44.4% (4/9 patients) of the pregnant subjects, whereas it occurred only in 11.1% (3/27 patients) of the controls (p=0.0497). Three of the pregnant patients who exhibited tumor enlargement underwent surgery after delivery. No relationship was detected between the changes in the serum thyroglobulin level, the serum thyrotropin level, and tumor size during pregnancy. Immunohistochemical examinations did not detect the estrogen receptor in the tumors of the three patients who underwent surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study is an initial report indicating that the risk of PTMC enlargement might increase during pregnancy. PTMC should be carefully followed-up for possible disease aggravation during pregnancy. Even if a PTMC enlarges during pregnancy, the patient's prognosis will probably not worsen.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Surgery, Kuma Hospital , Kobe, Japan .
authors.forename: Hisakazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shindo
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amino
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kihara
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miya
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirokawa
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyauchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000097:blood; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D047368:Tumor Burden; D014463:Ultrasonography; D057832:Watchful Waiting
chemical_list: D013972:Thyrotropin; D013954:Thyroglobulin