SYNCHRONIC PRESENTATION OF THYROID-CARCIN OMA AND MALIGNANT LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISEASE - REPORT OF 3 CASES

Multiple primary neoplasms are increasing in clinical practice, which is mainly due to the longer survival of cancer patients. Radiotherapy at an early stage of Hodgkin disease or lymphoma is well known to be a ssociated with the future occurrence of secondary thyroid cancer. Neve rtheless, the synchronous presentation of these two types of neoplasms is exceptional. We report here three cases of synchronic diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma and a malignant lymphoproliferative disease in pati ents who had not previously received radiotherapy nor chemotherapy. In malignant tumours of synchronic presentation, there is usually and un derlying genetic predisposition involved in the etiology. In our patie nts, no carcinogenic environmental factor was demonstrated and, while this neoplastic association might be casual, an investigation on the p ossible individual predisposing factors would be warranted.