gms | German Medical Science

Predominant risk factors for thyroid cancer are age and male gender. TSH is one factor involved in the control of proliferation of thyreocytes but there is doubtful evidence for a direct oncogenic role of TSH in human thyroid carcinogenesis. Recently, a relationship between serum TSH and risk of thyroid malignancy had been investigated with different outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare relationship of thyroid serum tests, especially serum TSH, to frequency of differentiated thyroid cancer and thyroid adenoma. In this study serum TSH of 100 consecutive patients with thyroid malignancy suspicion has been investigated preoperatively. Postoperatively, out of 100 patients, 54 had patohistologically proven papillary neoplasia, 12 had follicular carcinoma and 44 had thyroid adenoma. We found serum TSH to be elevated only in 4 male patients in age group over 45 years of age with papillary carcinoma of highest stage (stage pT4a) and just one patient under 45 years of age (stage pT4a). Serum TSH levels in other patients were within normal range but with tendency to be elevated within normal range in advanced disease. Elevated TSH levels were diagnosed in 2 patients with patohistologically proven follicular thyroid adenoma,

This study concluded that there is no evidence of elevated TSH as predictor of thyroid carcinoma.

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