THYROID NEOPLASIA AND FAMILIAL ADENOMATOUS POLYPOSIS GARDNERS-SYNDROME

This study was conducted to clarify the actual morbidity and clinicopa thologic features of thyroid neoplasia in patients with familial adeno matous polyposis, We analyzed the clinical records of 49 Japanese pati ents with familial adenomatous polyposis diagnosed at our institute. S ix of these patients had thyroid neoplasias (3 carcinomas, 2 adenomas, and 1 of unknown histology), Among 17 patients (11 men and 6 women) w ho had been examined by thyroid ultrasonography or in whom postmortem examination was performed; we categorized 6 patients with thyroid tumo r as the TT group, and the remaining 11 without thyroid tumor as the N TT group, The clinical features of the two groups were compared. Thyro id neoplasia was detected by physical examination in 2.3% of 43 patien ts so examined and was detected in 25% of 8 patients examined by thyro id ultrasonography, and in 44% of the 9 patients subjected to postmort em examination. There were no significant differences between the TT a nd NTT groups in gender; age at first admission, colectomy, and last f ollow-up visit; number of colonic polyps; or in presence of colorectal cancers, gastroduodenal adenomas, gastric fundic gland polyposis, ret inal pigmented lesions, or extraintestinal tumors. The thyroid gland i s frequently affected in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, but there may be no association between thyroid neoplasia and other c linical manifestations.