Kliniczne znaczenie rozpoznania zmiany pęcherzykowej bliżej nieokreślonej (grupa III wg Systemu Bethesda) w biopsji aspiracyjnej cienkoigłowej (BAC)

  Introduction: Follicular Lesion of Undetermined Significance (FLUS) belongs to the most controversial category of the Bethesda System. The aim of the study was to specify the risk of malignancy in patients with FLUS diagnosis in the material from the Institute of Oncology in Gliwice. This is the first Polish study specifying the risk of malignant neoplasm presence when Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNAB) results in a report of diagnostic category III (DC III). Material and methods: Three hundred and ninety-five primary DC III diagnoses from FNABs of the thyroid gland performed from 2010 to 2015 were analysed. Correspondence of DC III with diagnoses from repeated FNABs and histopathology reports was evaluated. Results: From 395 DC III patients, 27 were treated surgically for clinical indications, receiving six diagnoses of cancer. Repeat FNAB was performed in 180 cases, and primary diagnosis was confirmed in 41 cases. In the second FNAB there was one diagnosis of “Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma” and one “Suspicious for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma”. From eight patients treated surgically in these series prior cytological cancer diagnosis was confirmed in two cases. Forty-six patients were subjected to third and subsequent FNABs; in one case the diagnosis was “Suspicious for Malignancy”. In the analysed material the risk of cancer in patients with FLUS is 2.78%. Taking into account all 56 subsequent FNABs in which the primary diagnosis was confirmed, the risk decreases to 2.43%. Conclusions: The diagnosis of FLUS in the absence of clinical indications is not a basis for surgical treatment. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (1): 12–16)    Wstęp: Zmiana pęcherzykowa bliżej nieokreślona (grupa III) należy do najbardziej kontrowersyjnej kategorii systemu Bethesda. Brak jest polskich opracowań określających stopień ryzyka wystąpienia nowotworu złośliwego po rozpoznaniu zmiany z grupy III. Celem pracy było określenie ryzyka złośliwości po rozpoznaniu zmiany pęcherzykowej bliżej nieokreślonej w materiale Centrum Onkologii w Gliwicach. Materiał i metody: Analizie poddano 395 rozpoznań z grupy III BAC tarczycy wykonanych w latach 2010–2015. Oceniono zgodność pierwotnego rozpoznania grupy III z rozpoznaniami z kolejnych BAC i wynikami badań histopatologicznych. Wyniki: Na 395 rozpoznań grupy III zoperowano ze wskazań klinicznych 27 pacjentów i rozpoznano 6 raków. Ponowną BAC wykonano w 180 przypadkach i pierwotne rozpoznanie potwierdzono w 41 przypadkach. Po drugiej BAC 2-krotnie rozpoznano raka brodawkowatego lub jego podejrzenie. U 8 operowanych w tej serii potwierdzono wcześniejsze cytologiczne rozpoznanie raka u 2. Trzecią i kolejne BAC wykonano u 46 pacjentów i w jednym przypadku podejrzewano raka. Ryzyko raka w zmianie pęcherzykowej bliżej nieokreślonej w analizowanym materiale wynosi 2,78%. Uwzględniając wszystkie powtórnie wykonane 56 BAC, w których potwierdzono pierwotne rozpoznanie grupy III, ryzyko maleje do 2,43%. Wnioski: Rozpoznanie zmiany pęcherzykowej bliżej nieokreślonej przy braku wskazań klinicznych nie jest podstawą do wszczęcia postępowania chirurgicznego. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (1): 12–16)

Podejrzenie nowotworu pęcherzykowego czy nowotwór pęcherzykowy? Dylemat patologa i chirurga

  Introduction: Cytological material obtained from Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNAB) does not permit us to distinguish between follicular carcinomas, adenomas, and hyperplastic nodules. The limitations of the method are: lack of possibility to assess the presence of tumour capsule, eventual capsular invasion, and angioinvasion. An unequivocal conclusion of whether what we have to deal with is a neoplastic or benign lesion is possible only after histopathological examination. The aim of the study was to confirm justification for using the term “Suspicious for Follicular Neoplasm” (SFN) in cytological diagnostics of thyroid carcinoma. Material and methods: Three hundred and fifty-two primary SFN FNAB diagnoses (diagnostic category IV [DC IV] — according to Bethesda System) obtained from 2010 to 2015 in the Institute of Oncology in Gliwice were analysed, and their correlation with histopathological diagnoses was verified. Results: In the Institute of Oncology in Gliwice, 352 primary SFN diagnoses (diagnostic category IV [DC IV] — according to Bethesda System) were established. Surgical treatment was undertaken after first FNAB in six cases, giving confirmation of a neoplasm in five cases, one of which was a follicular carcinoma. Second FNAB performed in 90 patients confirmed DC IV diagnosis in 53 cases. Third FNAB concerned 26 patients, providing another 14 diagnoses of DC IV. 26 out of 352 patients were subjected to surgery, and then histopathological examination confirmed a neoplasm in 19 cases (which comprises 73%), five of which were carcinomas. Conclusions: High positive predictive value PPV = 73% of SFN diagnosis justifies undertaking surgical treatment in any case of this diagnosis. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (1): 17–22)    Wstęp: Materiał cytologiczny biopsji aspiracyjnej cienkoigłowej (BAC) tarczycy nie pozwala na zróżnicowanie raków pęcherzykowych, gruczolaków i guzków rozrostowych. Ograniczeniem metody jest brak możliwości określenia obecności torebki guza, jej ewentualnego nacieku oraz angioinwazji. Jednoznaczne rozstrzygnięcie czy mamy do czynienia ze zmianą nowotworową czy łagodną jest możliwe dopiero po badaniu histopatologicznym. Celem pracy było uzasadnienie celowości używania terminu „podejrzenie nowotworu pęcherzykowego” w diagnostyce cytologicznej raka tarczycy. Materiał i metody: Poddano analizie 352 wyniki BAC tarczycy wykonanych w Instytucie Onkologii (IO) w Gliwicach w latach 2010–2015 i ich korelację z rozpoznaniem histopatologicznym. Wyniki: W IO rozpoznanie podejrzenie nowotworu pęcherzykowego (grupa IV wg Systemu Bethesda) postawiono pierwotnie w 352 przypadkach. Leczenie operacyjne podjęto po pierwszej BAC w 6 przypadkach uzyskując potwierdzenie nowotworu w 5 przypadkach w tym jednego raka pęcherzykowego. Powtórna BAC przeprowadzona u 90 pacjentów potwierdziła rozpoznanie grupy IV w 53 przypadkach. Trzecią BAC przeprowadzono u 26 chorych, uzyskując kolejnych 14 rozpoznań grupy IV. Leczeniu operacyjnemu poddano 26 pacjentów na 352 rozpoznania nowotworu pęcherzykowego, uzyskując potwierdzenie nowotworu w 19 przypadkach, co stanowi 73% w tym raka 5 razy. Wnioski: Wysoka dodatnia wartość predykcyjna PPV = 73% rozpoznania „podejrzenie nowotworu pęcherzykowego” uzasadnia podjęcie leczenia operacyjnego w każdym przypadku tego rozpoznania. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (1): 17–22)

Occurrence of Arrhythmias in Women with Thyroid Cancer Receiving Suppressive Doses of Levothyroxine

Aim of the study: To assess the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias caused by high doses of levothyroxine in patients with thyroid cancer with subclinical hyperthyroidism. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 98 women divided into three groups according to plasma thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration: Results: There were no differences between groups in the maximum, average, or minimum heart rate or in the incidence of the studied cardiac arrhythmias. Heart rate in women with a TSH concentration of Conclusions: While maintaining normal free triiodothyronine levels, the use of suppressive doses of levothyroxine after thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer does not induce clinically significant arrhythmias or affect average heart rate. None of the studied clinical parameters influenced the risk of arrhythmia

Intra-Tumor Heterogeneity Revealed by Mass Spectrometry Imaging Is Associated with the Prognosis of Breast Cancer

Intra-tumor heterogeneity (ITH) results from the coexistence of genetically distinct cancer cell (sub)populations, their phenotypic plasticity, and the presence of heterotypic components of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here we addressed the potential association between phenotypic ITH revealed by mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) and the prognosis of breast cancer. Tissue specimens resected from 59 patients treated radically due to the locally advanced HER2-positive invasive ductal carcinoma were included in the study. After the on-tissue trypsin digestion of cellular proteins, peptide maps of all cancer regions (about 380,000 spectra in total) were segmented by an unsupervised approach to reveal their intrinsic heterogeneity. A high degree of similarity between spectra was observed, which indicated the relative homogeneity of cancer regions. However, when the number and diversity of the detected clusters of spectra were analyzed, differences between patient groups were observed. It is noteworthy that a higher degree of heterogeneity was found in tumors from patients who remained disease-free during a 5-year follow-up (n = 38) compared to tumors from patients with progressive disease (distant metastases detected during the follow-up, n = 21). Interestingly, such differences were not observed between patients with a different status of regional lymph nodes, cancer grade, or expression of estrogen receptor at the time of the primary treatment. Subsequently, spectral components with different abundance in cancer regions were detected in patients with different outcomes, and their hypothetical identity was established by assignment to measured masses of tryptic peptides identified in corresponding tissue lysates. Such differentiating components were associated with proteins involved in immune regulation and hemostasis. Further, a positive correlation between the level of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and heterogeneity revealed by MSI was observed. We postulate that a higher heterogeneity of tumors with a better prognosis could reflect the presence of heterotypic components including infiltrating immune cells, that facilitated the response to treatment

Diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer in adult patients — Recommendations of Polish Scientific Societies and the National Oncological Strategy. 2022 Update [Diagnostyka i leczenie raka tarczycy u chorych dorosłych — Rekomendacje Polskich Towarzystw Naukowych oraz Narodowej Strategii Onkologicznej. Aktualizacja na rok 2022]

The guidelines Thyroid Cancer 2022 are prepared based on previous Polish recommendations updated in 2018. They consider international guidelines — American Thyroid Association (ATA) 2015 and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN); however, they are adapted according to the ADAPTE process. The strength of the recommendations and the quality of the scientific evidence are assessed according to the GRADE system and the ATA 2015 and NCCN recommendations. The core of the changes made in the Polish recommendations is the inclusion of international guidelines and the results of those scientific studies that have already proven themselves prospectively.These extensions allow de-escalation of the therapeutic management in low-risk thyroid carcinoma, i.e., enabling active surveillance in papillary microcarcinoma to be chosen alternatively to minimally invasive techniques after agreeing on such management with the patient. Further extensions allow the use of thyroid lobectomy with the isthmus (hemithyroidectomy) in low-risk cancer up to 2 cm in diameter, modification of the indications for postoperative radioiodine treatment toward personalized approach, and clarification of the criteria used during postoperative L-thyroxine treatment. At the same time, the criteria for the preoperative differential diagnosis of nodular goiter in terms of ultrasonography and fine-needle aspiration biopsy have been clarified, and the rules for the histopathological examination of postoperative thyroid material have been updated. New, updated rules for monitoring patients after treatment are also presented.The updated recommendations focus on ensuring the best possible quality of life after thyroid cancer treatment while maintaining the good efficacy of this treatment