title: Autoimmunity and thyrotropin level in developing thyroid malignancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Malignancies and autoimmune thyroid disease are still controversial, but recent studies prove that a long lasting thyroid disease may be linked with malignancy, e.g. papillary thyroid carcinoma in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis. Having in mind that thyrotropin is a thyroid growth factor, the relationship between its serum values, as well as the levels of anti-peroxidase and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies and thyroid malignancy in patients with nodular thyroid goiter was examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six-hundred-thirty-seven medical records, which included the thyroid fine-needle aspiration cytology were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were grouped regarding the levels of thyrotropin, anti-peroxidase and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (in or out of the reference ranges) and compared with cytology findings for establishing their prognostic potential for malignancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elevated serum thyrotropin (≥ 4.5 mIU/L) was found in 27.3% of patients with thyroid malignancy compared with 10.8% with benign and 16.1% with unspecified cytology finding (p < 0.01). In the group of patients with malignant cytology findings 7.0% of them had elevated anti-peroxidase antibodies level, and 1.4% had anti-peroxidase antibodies level in reference range. In the group of patients with malignant cytology findings 4.2% of them had elevated anti-thyroglobulin antibodies level, and 1.4% had anti-thyroglobulin antibodies level in reference range.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with elevated serum thyrotropin concentration and/or chronic thyroiditis the occurrence of thyroid malignancy is increased.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Clinical Center of Montenegro, Faculty of Medicine University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro. com_nr@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Medenica
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Radojevic
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stojkovic
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nedeljkovic-Beleslin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Savic
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ciric
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Trbojevic
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zarkovic
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000502:physiology*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D013972:Thyrotropin