Size, Number, and Distribution of Thyroid Nodules and the Risk of Malignancy in Radiation-Exposed Patients Who Underwent Surgery

Context: The chance that a thyroid nodule is malignant is higher when there is a history of childhood radiation exposure

Lipid effects of endocrine medications.

Various alterations of lipid homeostasis have a significant role in the pathophysiology of the artherosclerotic process. The effects of usual lipid-lowering agents such as statins, fibrates, or niacin are well known, but other endocrine therapeutic agents could also affect the blood levels of various lipoproteins and, in turn, influence atheroma formation. In this review, we attempt to summarize the effect of several hormonal and non-hormonal endocrine agents on lipid metabolism, including insulin, thyroid hormone, sex hormones, glucocorticoids, growth hormone, and several anti-diabetic agents

Role of biomarkers in predicting the occurrence of thyroid neoplasms in radiation-exposed children

With increasing numbers of childhood cancer survivors who were treated with radiation, there is a need to evaluate potential biomarkers that could signal an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer. We aimed to examine the relationships between thyrotropin and thyroglobulin levels and the risk of developing thyroid nodules and cancer in a cohort of radiation exposed children. 806 subjects who were irradiated in the neck area as children were examined and followed for up to 25 years. All subjects underwent a clinical examination, measurements of thyrotropin, thyroglobulin levels and thyroid imaging. At baseline, 216 subjects had thyroid nodules and 548 did not. Of those with nodules, 176 underwent surgery with 55 confirmed thyroid cancers. During the follow-up, 147 subjects developed thyroid nodules including 22 with thyroid cancer. Thyroglobulin levels were higher in subjects with prevalent thyroid nodules (26.1 ng/mL vs 9.37 ng/mL; p <0.001) and in those who had an initial normal exam but later developed thyroid nodules (11.2 ng/mL vs 8.87 ng/mL; p=0.017). There was no relationship between baseline thyrotropin levels and the prevalent presence or absence of thyroid nodules, whether a prevalent neoplasm was benign or malignant, subsequent development of thyroid nodules during follow-up, or whether an incident nodule was benign or malignant. In conclusion, in radiation exposed children, higher thyroglobulin levels indicated an increased risk of developing thyroid nodules but did not differentiate between benign and malignant neoplasms. There was no association between the baseline thyrotropin level and the risk of developing thyroid nodules or cancer