The Outcome of Papillary Thyroid Cancer Associated with Graves' Disease: A Case Control Study

Multifocal papillary thyroid cancer in Graves' disease: A case report

BACKGROUND

Thyroid cancer is not commonly observed in patients with Graves' disease (GD). The presence of thyroid nodules in GD is not uncommon. However, a link between these two entities has been reported. Herein, we report the case of a patient with GD and thyroid cancer in Saudi Arabia, which has not been reported previously in our region.

CASE SUMMARY

A 26-year-old male patient with GD, receiving carbimazole for 2 years, presented to our hospital. His hyperthyroidism was controlled clinically and biochemically. On clinical examination, he was found to have a left-sided thyroid nodule. Ultrasound revealed a 2.6 cm hypoechoic nodule with high vascularity. He was then referred for fine needle aspiration which showed that the nodule was highly suspicious for malignancy. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy and was diagnosed with multifocal classical micropapillary thyroid cancer. Post thyroidectomy he received radioactive iodine ablation along with levothyroxine replacement therapy.

CONCLUSION

Careful preoperative assessment and thyroid gland ultrasound might assist in screening and diagnosing thyroid cancer in patients with GD.

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Follow-Up Study in Patients with Absence of Aggressive Risk Factors at the Surgery of the Primary Tumor

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is often associated with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PC); it is still a matter of controversy whether the behavior of carcinoma is more aggressive or not. During the follow-up, we retrospectively enrolled 97 patients with PC/HT after thyroidectomy without risk factors at the surgery of the primary tumor, such as multifocality/multicentricity, extrathyroid tumor extension, vascular invasion, neck and distant metastases, and aggressive histological variants. HT diagnosis was confirmed by histology and serum thyroid antibodies. Tumor size was ≤10 mm in 64 cases (microcarcinomas); 206 matched PC patients after thyroidectomy without HT and risk factors were enrolled as controls, totaling 122 microcarcinomas. During follow-up, metastases occurred in 15/97 (15.5%) PC/HT cases, eight microcarcinomas, and in 16/206 (7.8%) without HT, eight microcarcinomas (p = 0.04). Considering both PC/HT and PC patients without HT who developed metastases, univariate analysis showed an increased risk of metastases in patients with HT coexistence, OR: 2.17 (95% CI 1.03-4.60) p = 0.043. Disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly (p = 0.0253) shorter in PC/HT than in the controls. The present study seems to demonstrate that HT is not a cancer protective factor in PC patients given the less favorable outcomes and significantly shorter DFS. HT may also represent an independent recurrence predictor without other risk factors.

The role of Graves' disease in the development of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer

Aim

The prevalence of thyroid nodules and the risk of thyroid cancer in patients with Graves' disease is uncertain. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of thyroid nodules and cancer in patients with Graves' disease.

Methods

Retrospective observational study of adult subjects with Graves' disease (positive autoantibodies thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAbs)) between 2017 and 2021 at our center was done. We evaluated the prevalence of thyroid nodules and cancer in this population and characterized the predictive factors for thyroid malignancy using linear and logistic regression models.

Results

We evaluated a total of 539 patients with Graves' disease during a median follow-up of 3.3 years (25th-75th percentiles 1.5-5.2 years). Fifty-three percent had thyroid nodules and 18 (3.3%) were diagnosed with thyroid cancer (12 papillary microcarcinomas). All tumors were classified using TNM classification as T1, and only one had lymph node metastasis; there were no recordings of distant metastasis. Sex, age, body mass index, smoking, TSH, and TRAbs levels were not significantly different between patients with and without thyroid cancer. Patients with multiple nodules on ultrasound (OR 1.61, 95%CI 1.04-2.49) and with larger nodules (OR 2.96, 95%CI 1.08-8.14, for 10 mm increase in size) had a greater risk of thyroid cancer diagnosis.

Conclusion

Patients with Graves' disease had a high prevalence of thyroid nodules and their nodules had a significant risk of thyroid cancer. The risk was higher in those with multiple and larger nodules. Most had low-grade papillary thyroid cancer. More studies are needed to clarify the clinical relevance of these findings.

A Comparative Follow-Up Study of Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Associated or Not with Graves' Disease

Whether papillary carcinoma (PC) behavior is more aggressive in Graves’ disease (GD) patients than PC cases without GD is controversial. We retrospectively enrolled 33 thyroidectomized PC/GD patients during long-term follow-up, 23/33 without risk factors at surgery, and 18/33 microcarcinomas; 312 PC euthyroid-matched patients without risk factors served as controls. A total of 14/33 (42.4%) PC/GD patients, 4 with and 10 without risk factors at diagnosis, 6 with microcarcinoma, underwent metastases during follow-up. In controls, metastases in 21/312 (6.7%) were ascertained. Considering 10/23 PC/GD patients and 21/312 controls without risk factors who developed metastases, univariate analysis showed that there was an increased risk of metastasis appearance for PC/GD cases (p < 0.001). Disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly (p < 0.0001, log-rank test) shorter in PC/GD patients than in controls. Significantly more elevated aggressiveness in 6/18 PC/GD patients with microcarcinoma than in controls was also ascertained with shorter DFS. Thus, in the present study, PC/GD had aggressive behavior during follow-up also when carcinoma characteristics were favorable and some cases were microcarcinomas. GD and non-GD patient comparison in the cases without risk factors at diagnosis showed an increased risk to develop metastases in GD during follow-up, suggesting that GD alone might be a tumor aggressiveness predictive factor in these cases.

Spectrum of thyroid disease in a single patient: A case of papillary thyroid carcinoma in a patient with Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis

A 65-year-old man with a history of Hashimoto's thyroiditi on Levothyroxine developed Graves' disease with ocular symptoms and was treated with teprotumumab without improvement. Total thyroidectomy was performed to control hyperthyroidism. Surgical pathology revealed multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma. Rarely, a spectrum of thyroid disorders is seen in a single patient.

Graves' disease and papillary thyroid carcinoma: case report and literature review of a single academic center

BACKGROUND

Graves' disease (GD) and papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) can be concomitant. The existence of a link between these entities has long been investigated, but a clear correlation hasn't been established. We report a case of GD resistant to medical treatment in which surgery revealed unsuspected PTC and we aim to study the prevalence of PTC in Graves' disease, its clinical characteristics and review of the literature.

CASE PRESENTATION

Report of a 32 yo man who presented with weight loss and was found to be biochemically hyperthyroid. Antibodies were positive. Incremental doses of methimazole provided no improvement in thyroid tests. Hypervascularity and a spongiform nodule were noted on ultrasound. Thyroid uptake and scan showed 70.2% uptake. Thyroidectomy was performed due to inadequate therapeutic response. Pathology revealed PTC with extrathyroidal extension and positive lymph nodes. A retrospective review (2000-2021) and literature review of PTC in GD was performed. Clinical data were reviewed. Statistical analysis was calculated to identify correlations. 243 GD patients had total thyroidectomy at an academic center, 50 (20%) had PTC, 14% were microcarcinomas. 76% of cases were less than 55yo, 82% female, 78% stage 1, PTC diagnosis was incidental in 48%, hyperthyroidism was difficult to treat in 10% and only 2% had recurrence of PTC. There was no correlation between demographic or clinical data.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence is controversial with some studies showing GD does not affect PTC prognosis. PTC may not be well recognized in GD, pre-operative assessment should consider risk of cancer.

Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Coexisting Thyroid Cancer in Patients with Graves' Disease: A Retrospective Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND

The association between Graves' disease (GD) and co-existing thyroid cancer is still controversial and most of the previously reported data have been based on surgically treated GD patients. This study investigated the clinicopathological findings and prognosis of concomitant thyroid cancer in GD patients in the era of widespread application of ultrasonography.

METHODS

Data of GD patients who underwent thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer between 2010 and 2019 in three tertiary hospitals in South Korea (Asan Medical Center, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, and Pusan National University Hospital) were collected and analyzed retrospectively. In the subgroup analysis, aggressiveness and clinical outcomes of thyroid cancer were compared nodular GD and non-nodular GD groups according to the presence or absence of the thyroid nodules other than thyroid cancer (index nodules).

RESULTS

Of the 15,159 GD patients treated at the hospitals during the study period, 262 (1.7%) underwent thyroidectomy for coexisting thyroid cancer. Eleven patients (4.2%) were diagnosed with occult thyroid cancer and 182 patients (69.5%) had microcarcinomas. No differences in thyroid cancer aggressiveness, ultrasonographic findings, or prognosis were observed between the nodular GD and non-nodular GD groups except the cancer subtype. In the multivariate analysis, only lymph node (LN) metastasis was an independent prognostic factor for recurrent/persistent disease of thyroid cancer arising in GD (P=0.020).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of concomitant thyroid cancer in GD patients was considerably lower than in previous reports. The clinical outcomes of thyroid cancer in GD patients were also excellent but, more cautious follow-up is necessary for patients with LN metastasis in the same way as for thyroid cancer in non-GD patients.

Is There a Correlation of TSI Levels and Incidental Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in Graves Disease? A Review of the Latest Evidence

PURPOSE

Our aim is to clarify if there is an association between the TSI levels and the development of thyroid carcinoma in patients with Grave's disease.

METHODS

A systematic search concerning original studies from 2010 to 2020 was carried out through the databases PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane, according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The terms used are 'Graves' disease' and /or 'Incidental Papillary thyroid cancer' and 'TSI' levels. Retrospective studies upon the subject were concluded in the analysis.

RESULTS

Only three retrospective studies were found involving 916 patients with Graves' disease and Euthyroid goiter. No significant correlation has been found between TSI and the occurrence of thyroid carcinoma in patients with Graves' disease.

CONCLUSION

Very little research has been conducted upon the subject. More assays are required in order to identify a possible prognostic role of TSI levels in Papillary thyroid carcinoma in patients with Graves disease.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma presenting as a functioning thyroid nodule: report of 2 rare cases

INTRODUCTION

Autonomously functioning thyroid nodules (AFTNs) are generally benign, whereas papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) are mostly non-functioning. Graves' disease (GD) is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism (HD), followed by hyperfunctional adenoma or Plummer's disease. GD with AFTNs is called Marine-Lenhart syndrome, a relatively rare syndrome. In clinical practice, the presence of HD, AFTNs and PTC at the same time is extremely rare.

CASE PRESENTATION

Case 1: A 55-year-old middle-aged woman with a preoperative diagnosis of GD and HD with right AFTNs. Case 2: A 43-year-old middle-aged woman with a preoperative diagnosis of non-GD and HD with right AFTNs and right PTC. Case 1: Histology showed a 4 cm adenoma with a 1.0 cm PTC in the right lobe and a 0.3 cm PTC in the left lobe. The rest of the thyroid showed typical pathologic GD changes. The postoperative diagnosis was atypical Marine-Lenhart syndrome with bilateral PTC. Case 2: Histology showed a 0.4 cm PTC surrounded by nodular goiter. The postoperative diagnosis was toxic nodular goiter with PTC.

CONCLUSION

This paper covers the relationships among PTC, HD and AFTNs, explains some common and uncommon clinical diagnoses, and reports two rare cases with these three diagnoses. Our ultimate purpose is to remind doctors that when handling nodules or HD, PTC as a diagnosis cannot be excluded. Instead, it is better to perform total or near-total thyroidectomy and intraoperative frozen biopsy or preoperative biopsy examinations to avoid omitting PTC, which needs reoperation.

Prognosis of papillary thyroid cancer in patients with Graves' disease: a propensity score-matched analysis

Background

Patients with Graves’ disease (GD) are at a 2.5 times higher risk of developing thyroid cancer than the general population. Previous studies reported conflicting results about the prognosis of thyroid cancer concomitant with GD. This study aimed to investigate the effect of GD to the recurrence rates of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Methods

We reviewed 3628 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for PTC at the Ewha Womans University Medical Center from January 2006 to June 2014. Of those, 114 patients had non-occult PTC with concomitant GD. To reduce potential confounding effects and selection bias, we conducted 1:5 propensity score matching and analyzed the recurrence-free survival.

Results

Thyroid cancer in patients with GD showed lower rate of lymphatic invasion (1.8% vs. 6.7%; p = 0.037), microscopic resection margin involvement (0.9% vs. 5.8%; p = 0.024), and lymph node metastasis (29.8% vs. 37.3%; p = 0.001) than in patients without GD, respectively. During the median follow-up of 94.1 months, recurrence occurred in one patient (0.9%) with GD. After propensity score matching for adjusting clinicopathological features, 5-year recurrence-free survival was comparable between patients with GD and euthyroid patients (100% vs. 98.4%, p = 0.572). Both tumor size [hazard ratio (HR) 1.585, p < 0.001] and lymph node metastasis (HR for N1a 3.067, p = 0.024; HR for N1b 15.65, p < 0.001) were predictive factors for recurrence-free survival, while GD was not associated with the recurrence.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that GD does not affect the prognosis of PTC. Thyroid cancer in patients with GD is not more aggressive than in euthyroid patients.

Effect of Graves' disease on the prognosis of differentiated thyroid carcinoma: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Several studies have reported different findings on the prognosis of differentiated thyroid carcinoma combined with Graves' disease. To assess the effect of Graves' disease on differentiated thyroid carcinoma, a meta-analysis was undertaken.

METHODS

PubMed, OVID and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for trials published prior to Oct. 2018. Studies containing data on the outcomes of Graves' disease with differentiated thyroid carcinoma were included. Summary estimates of the prevalence of recurrence/disease progression/persistence and mortality as well as odds ratios and weighted mean differences were calculated with a random-effects model.

RESULTS

Of the 916 related articles found, 13 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The recurrence/disease progression/persistent rate was not significantly different between the Graves' disease group and the non-Graves' disease group (P = 0.86). However, the analysis of three studies with K-M curves or HRs showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.04). Subgroup analysis showed that the contradictory results could be due to the location/race assessed in the studies. Graves' disease almost acted as a risk factor (OR = 1.77, 95%C.I. = 0.99-3.16) for differentiated thyroid carcinoma in European studies. When heterogeneous studies were excluded, the analyses show that GD was a risk factor for recurrence/disease progression/persistence (P = 0.03, OR = 1.75, 95%C.I. = 1.04-2.95). The overall mortality rate was significantly higher in the Graves' disease group than in the non-Graves' disease group (P = 0.02, OR = 2.93, 95%C.I. = 1.17-7.37).

CONCLUSIONS

Graves' disease acts as a risk factor for the prognosis of differentiated thyroid carcinoma. The recurrence/disease progression/persistent rate may be affected by TSAbs in a specific location/race and with a genetic immunization background. However, the histotypes and subtypes may play an important role in mortality rate.

Prevalence and aggressiveness of papillary thyroid carcinoma in surgically-treated graves' disease patients: a retrospective matched cohort study

Background

Reported rates of thyroid cancer in Graves’ disease (GD) vary widely. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), including aggressive forms, in GD compared to matched controls undergoing thyroidectomy. Furthermore, it seeks to elucidate any patient- or tumour-associated factors predictive of malignancy or an aggressive course.

Methods

We performed a matched cohort study of GD patients undergoing thyroidectomy at our institution between 2006 to 2018. Clinicodemographic factors, preoperative characteristics, surgical factors, final histopathology as well postoperative course were collected. Aggressive PTC was defined as evidence of lymph node metastasis, extrathyroidal extension, gross vascular invasion and/or aggressive histologic variants. Prevalence of PTC was compared with sex, age and nodule size-matched euthyroid patients that underwent thyroidectomy in the same time period.

Results

A total of 132 patients were included in the study with a mean age of 46 (±14) years. Malignancy was identified in 36/66 (55%) patients with GD; 20/66 (30%) were incidental carcinomas and 9/66 (14%) were associated with aggressive pathologic features. In the aggressive group, lymph node metastasis to the central compartment was present in 8 (12%) cases, extrathyroidal extension in 4 (6%) cases and one (1.5%) patient had a diffuse sclerosing tumor variant. No significant differences in outcome were found between the two groups. GD patients were more likely to have incidental carcinomas (p = 0.035). Adjusting for baseline patient characteristics, GD patients demonstrated an increased likelihood of harbouring a malignancy (odds ratio (OR) = 2.67; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00–7.18) compared to controls.

Conclusion

More than half of patients with GD undergoing thyroidectomy had concurrent thyroid malignancy with aggressive features present in 14% of patients. GD may confer a heightened risk of thyroid cancer; thyroid nodules should therefore be carefully investigated.

PROGNOSIS OF DIFFERENTIATED THYROID CARCINOMA IN PATIENTS WITH GRAVES DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Objective: It is still controversial whether differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) in patients with Graves disease (GD) can be more aggressive than non-Graves DTC. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the association between GD and prognosis in patients with DTC. Methods: We comprehensively searched the databases of MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to March 2019. We included published studies that compared the risk of mortality and prognosis between DTC patients with GD and those with non-GD. Data from each study were combined using the random-effects model. Results: Twenty-five studies from February 1988 to May 2018 were included (987 DTC patients with GD and 2,064 non-Graves DTC patients). The DTC patients with GD had a significantly higher risk of associated multifocality/multicentricity (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 2.02; I², 6.5%; P = .381) and distant metastasis at the time of cancer diagnosis (odds ratio, 2.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 4.47; I², 0.0%; P = .497), but this was not associated with DTC-related mortality and recurrence/persistence during follow-up. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis demonstrates a statistically significant increased risk of multifocality/multicentricity and distant metastasis at the time of cancer diagnosis in DTC patients with GD than those without GD. Abbreviations: CI = confidence interval; DTC = differentiated thyroid carcinoma; GD = Graves disease; LN = lymph node; OR = odds ratio; PTC = papillary thyroid carcinoma; TC = thyroid carcinoma; TSAb = thyroid-stimulating antibody; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone.