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Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2022; 130(06): 381-385
DOI: 10.1055/a-1562-3455
Article

Clinical Significance of Coexistence of Hashimoto Thyroiditis and Graves’ Disease with Differentiated and Medullary Thyroid Cancer

Andreas Machens 
1   Department of Visceral, Vascular and Endocrine Surgery, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
,
Kerstin Lorenz
1   Department of Visceral, Vascular and Endocrine Surgery, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
,
Frank Weber
2   Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Section of Endocrine Surgery, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
,
Henning Dralle
1   Department of Visceral, Vascular and Endocrine Surgery, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
2   Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Section of Endocrine Surgery, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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Abstract

The association of Hashimoto thyroiditis and Graves’ disease with papillary, follicular, and medullary thyroid cancer has not been comprehensively investigated until now. This comparative clinicopathological study of consecutive patients thyroidectomized at a surgical referral center aimed to explore interdependencies between chronic autoimmune thyroiditis and thyroid cancer. Altogether, there were 852 (58.4%) patients with papillary thyroid cancer, 181 (12.4%) patients with follicular thyroid cancer, and 426 (29.2%) patients with sporadic medullary thyroid cancer, of whom 75 (5.1%) patients also had Hashimoto thyroiditis and 40 (2.7%) patients also had Graves’ disease. Patients with papillary (medians of 42 vs. 48 years; P =0.008) and follicular (medians of 33 vs. 63 years; P=0.022) thyroid cancer, unlike patients with medullary thyroid cancer (medians of 57.5 vs. 57 years; P=0.989), were younger at thyroidectomy when they had Hashimoto thyroiditis concomitantly. No such associations were seen with Graves’ disease. Primary thyroid cancers tended to be more localized in conjunction with Hashimoto thyroiditis, and less so with Graves’ disease, although patterns were not consistent across tumor types. In conclusion, Hashimoto thyroiditis, but not Graves’ disease, may be associated with differentiated (papillary and follicular) thyroid cancer but not with medullary thyroid cancer.

Key words

Hashimoto's thyroiditis - Graves' disease - autoimmune thyroiditis - papillary thyroid cancer - follicular thyroid cancer - medullary thyroid cancer


Publication History

Received: 25 June 2021

Accepted: 20 July 2021

Article published online:
13 September 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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