Endocrinology and Metabolism

Original Articles

Clinical Outcomes of Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma Did Not Significantly Differ according to Tumor Size in an Iodine-Excessive Country: Da Eun Leem, Ji Hyun Yoo, Bo Ram Kim, Jung Sun Kim, Tae Hyuk Kim, Sun Wook Kim, Yun Jae Chung, Jae Hoon Chung, Young Lyun Oh; Received January 19, 2025 Accepted March 24, 2025 Published online May 26, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2025.2324 [Epub ahead of print]

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Abstract PDF PubReader ePub: Background
Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) measuring <2 cm is generally associated with good prognosis, while tumor size ≥4 cm is regarded as being associated with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to evaluate FTC prognosis by tumor size to investigate whether the 2- and 4-cm criteria are appropriate for assessing prognosis.
Methods
Data of 248 patients with FTC diagnosed between August 1995 and June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The population was divided into four groups according to tumor size: <2.0, 2.0–3.9, 4.0–5.9, and ≥6.0 cm. Distant metastasis (DM), recurrence and/or structural persistence (R/SP), cancer-specific death (CSD), and frequency of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations based on tumor size were evaluated.
Results
While the rates of DM, R/SP, and CSD and the frequency of TERT promoter mutations did not differ among the size groups <6 cm, they increase sharply in tumor size ≥6 cm, although statistically insignificant (P=0.608, P=0.248, P=0.089, and P=0.165 respectively). Widely invasive subtypes, and TERT promoter mutations were significantly associated with DM (P=0.009 and P<0.001, respectively). Age ≥55 years, gross extrathyroidal extension, synchronous DM, and TERT promoter mutation were independent risk factors for CSD (P=0.005, P=0.003, P<0.001, and P=0.002, respectively).
Conclusion
DM, R/SP, CSD, and TERT promoter mutations were not uncommon in FTCs <2 cm compared to those in larger FTCs, whereas FTCs ≥6 cm showed a sharp decline in prognosis, although this was statistically insignificant.

Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Detected by Routine Health Screening Had Better Clinical Outcome and Survival: Ji Hyun Yoo, Da Eun Leem, Bo Ram Kim, Tae Hyuk Kim, Sun Wook Kim, Jae Hoon Chung; Received October 22, 2024 Accepted January 8, 2025 Published online March 5, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2024.2214 [Epub ahead of print]

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material PubReader ePub: Background
The benefits of early detection in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) are not well established. This study investigates the impact of early detection of MTC on clinical outcomes.
Methods
This retrospective study evaluated 144 patients diagnosed with MTC at Samsung Medical Center between 1995 and 2019, classified as asymptomatic (mostly detected through routine health check-ups, including ultrasonography, calcitonin, or carcinoembryonic antigen levels) and symptomatic. Initial treatment response, final clinical outcomes, and cancer-specific survival were compared.
Results
MTC was diagnosed in 104 (72.2%) asymptomatic and 40 (27.8%) symptomatic patients. The symptomatic group showed a significantly larger primary tumor size, more frequent lateral neck lymph node metastasis, more advanced tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging, and higher pre- and postoperative serum calcitonin levels. For initial treatment response, the proportion of excellent responders was significantly higher in the asymptomatic group (71.2% vs. 40.0%), while that of patients with biochemical incomplete response (37.5% vs. 26.9%) and structural incomplete response (22.5% vs. 1.9%) was significantly higher in the symptomatic group (all P<0.001). For the final clinical outcomes, the rate of patients with no evidence of disease was higher in the asymptomatic group (67.3% vs. 30.0%), while the rate of patients with structurally identifiable disease was higher in the symptomatic group (45.0% vs. 7.7%) (P<0.001 for both). The symptomatic group had significantly poorer cancer-specific survival than the asymptomatic group (log-rank P=0.023).
Conclusion
Compared with late diagnosis through symptomatic presentation, early diagnosis in asymptomatic patients results in significantly better initial treatment response, final clinical outcomes, and cancer-specific survival in patients with MTC.

Thyroid
Clinical Manifestations of Malignant Struma Ovarii: A Retrospective Case Series in a Tertiary Hospital in Korea: Hyun Jin Ryu, Da Eun Leem, Ji Hyun Yoo, Tae Hyuk Kim, Sun Wook Kim, Jae Hoon Chung; Endocrinol Metab. 2024;39(3):461-467. Published online May 9, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2023.1863

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Background
Malignant struma ovarii (MSO) is a very rare disease in which thyroid cancer originates from the ovary. Because it is rare for endocrinologists to encounter patients with MSO, endocrinologists may have a limited understanding of the disease. Therefore, we analyzed and introduced its incidence and clinical course in a tertiary hospital in Korea.
Methods
We retrospectively investigated the clinical data of 170 patients who underwent surgery for struma ovarii at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Samsung Medical Center from 1994 to May 2023.
Results
Among 170 patients with struma ovarii, 15 (8.8%) were diagnosed with MSO. The median age of patients with MSO was 48 years (range, 30 to 74), and the median tumor size was 3.3 cm (range, 0.5 to 11.0). Papillary thyroid carcinoma (46.7%) was the most common subtypes followed by follicular thyroid carcinoma (26.7%). All patients were diagnosed after surgery, with no predictions from preoperative imaging. The surgical extent of gynecological surgery was variable. Four patients (26.7%) underwent thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer, while one underwent total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine therapy for MSO with peritoneal metastasis. Except for one patient who underwent hemithyroidectomy, thyroid stimulating hormone suppression therapy was performed in four patients. Only 53% of MSO patients were consulted by an endocrinologist. With a median follow-up period of 33 months (range, 4 to 156), 11 patients remained disease-free, one experienced progression with peritoneal seeding, and the remaining one was in treatment. There have been no recurrences or deaths due to MSO.
Conclusion
An endocrinologist should be involved in establishing a therapeutic plan for MSO, for which the overall prognosis is generally favorable.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Diagnostic Value of Nuclear Hybrid Imaging in Malignant Struma Ovarii: A Systematic Review of Case Reports
Claudiu Peștean, Doina Piciu
Diagnostics.2024; 14(23): 2630. CrossRef
The Role of Radioiodine Therapy in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Arising from Struma Ovarii: A Systematic Review
Pietro Bellini, Francesco Dondi, Valentina Zilioli, Elisa Gatta, Maria Cavadini, Carlo Cappelli, Gian Luca Viganò, Francesco Bertagna
Journal of Clinical Medicine.2024; 13(24): 7729. CrossRef

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