THYROID ANTIBODIES IN ASSOCIATION WITH THYROID MALIGNANCY .1. SIMULTANEOUS OCCURRENCE OF THYROIDITIS AND THYROID MALIGNANCY

Occurrence of thyroid antibodies and thyroiditis in association with t hyroid malignancy, suspected malignancy or other thyroid diseases was studied in 177 patients. Retrospective clinical analysis revealed that 137 patients had thyroid carcinoma (108 papillary carcinomas, 10 occu lt papillary carcinomas. 14 follicular carcinomas, and 5 other carcino mas) and 40 had other thyroid diseases. Thyroid microsomal (AMC) and t hyroglobulin antibodies (ATG) were measured by the particle agglutinat ion method. Clinically significant thyroid antibody titers and histolo gical or clinical features of thyroiditis were seen in nine patients w ith thyroid carcinoma, being equally prevalent in follicular and papil lary carcinomas. Taking into account the prevalence of positive AMC an tibodies and thyroid carcinoma in Finland, the highest predicted preva lence of simultaneously occurring thyroid carcinoma and thyroiditis in the under 40 age group should be 0.002% and in the over 40 age group 0.006%. In the present material the observed occurrences in correspond ing age groups were unexpectedly high (4.7% and 5.2%). The results may partly be due to patient selection, but they also suggest that there might be a link between thyroiditis and thyroid carcinoma.