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Evaluating the prognostic factors associated with cancer-specific survival of differentiated thyroid carcinoma presenting with distant metastasis.
Lang, BH, Wong, KP, Cheung, CY, Wan, KY, Lo, CY
Annals of surgical oncology. 2013;(4):1329-35
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Because patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) presenting with distant metastasis (DM) have a particularly poor prognosis, examining the prognostic factors in this group is essential. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic factors affecting cancer-specific survival (CSS) in DTC patients presenting with DM. METHODS Of the 1227 DTC patients, 51 (4.2 %) presented with DM at diagnosis. All patients underwent a total thyroidectomy, followed by radioiodine (RAI) ablation and postablation whole body scan (WBS). Patients were considered to have an osseous metastasis if one of the metastatic sites involved a bone, while RAI avidity was determined by any visual uptake in a known metastatic site on the first WBS. Factors predictive of CSS were determined by univariate and multivariate analyses by the Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS In univariate analysis, older age (relative risk [RR] 1.050, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.010-1.091, P = 0.014), DM discovered before WBS (RR 3.401, 95 % CI 1.127-10.309, P = 0.030), follicular thyroid carcinoma (RR 3.095, 95 % CI 1.168-8.205, P = 0.025), osseous metastasis (RR 4.695, 95 % CI 1.379-15.873, P = 0.013), non-RAI avidity (RR 3.355, 95 % CI 1.280-8.772, P = 0.014), and external beam radiotherapy to DM (RR 3.241, 95 % CI 1.093-9.614, P = 0.034) were significant poor prognostic factors for CSS. In the multivariate analysis, after adjusting for other factors, osseous metastasis (RR 6.849, 95 % CI 1.495-31.250, P = 0.013) and non-RAI avidity (RR 7.752, 95 % CI 2.198-27.027, P = 0.001) were the two independent poor prognostic factors for CSS. Older age almost reached statistically significance (RR 1.055, 95 % CI 0.996-1.117, P = 0.068). CONCLUSIONS DTC patients presenting with DM accounted for 4.2 % of all patients. Because osseous metastasis and RAI avidity were independent prognostic factors, future therapy should be directed at improving the treatment efficacy of osseous and/or non-RAI-avid metastases.
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[Parathyroid hormone as a predictor of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia].
Del Río, L, Castro, A, Bernáldez, R, Del Palacio, A, Giráldez, CV, Lecumberri, B, Alvarez-Escolá, C, Fernández-Martínez, A
Acta otorrinolaringologica espanola. 2011;(4):265-73
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE The risk of developing hypocalcemia is the reason for prolonged hospitalisation after total thyroidectomy. The objective of this study was to validate parathyroid hormone measurement for predicting post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eighty-two patients who underwent total or completion thyroidectomy from February 2009 to March 2010 were enrolled in this prospective study to determine the best timing and cutoff point of parathyroid hormone to predict hypocalcemia. Patients with any condition that could interfere with calcium homeostasis were excluded from the survey. Parathyroid hormone and serum calcium levels were determined preoperatively, immediately after surgery and a number of hours later. RESULTS Treatment for hypocalcemia was required in 16.7% of patients. A percent of delayed decrease in parathyroid hormone was chosen as the best measurement to predict hypocalcemia. An 80% or higher decrease in delayed parathyroid hormone levels had 100% sensitivity (95% CI: 77.2-100%) and 87% specificity (95% CI: 77-93%) for selecting patients for early discharge. Using this test, 73.2% of the patients could have been discharged 24 hours after surgery. A 98% decrease in delayed parathyroid hormone levels could select candidates for early calcium replacement with 98.6% specificity (95% CI: 92.2-99.7%). CONCLUSIONS The decrease in postoperative delayed parathyroid hormone levels is a good predictor of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. A decrease of 80% or more in delayed parathyroid hormone level is a test with excellent sensibility and specificity for selecting candidates for early discharge. The 98% cutoff point has high specificity for selecting patients for early calcium replacement.
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High-calcium mineral water as a calcium supplementing measure for post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia.
Coiro, V, Zanardi, G, Saccani Jotti, G, Rubino, P, Manfredi, G, Chiodera, P
Minerva endocrinologica. 2008;(1):7-13
Abstract
AIM: The aim of this study was to test the possibility of enhancing blood calcium levels in totally thyroidectomized patients by supplementation with 1 L/d carbonate-bicarbonate-high-calcium mineral water. METHODS This study enrolled 95 outpatients, totally thyroidectomized four months earlier, and hence treated with oral calcium and vitamin-D. At recruitment, ionized blood calcium was either below (Group A; N. 55) or above (Group B; N. 40, randomly divided in Group B1 [N. 20] and Group B2 [N.20]) the lower limit of the normal range (1.12 mmol/L). For one month, Group A was treated with 1 L/d high-calcium (483 mg/L) mineral water and continued the usual therapy with Ca and vitamin-D. In contrast, Group B1 and Group B2 substituted their Ca and vitamin-D therapy with 1 L/d high-calcium mineral water (Group B1) or 1 L/d of placebo mineral water (Ca:80 mg/L) (Group B2). RESULTS After one month, a significant 7.5% increase in blood ionized-calcium levels was observed in Group A, no change in Group B1 and a significant drop below normality in Group B2 (Group B2 vs Group B1, P<0.001). Thereafter, 1 L/d of the high-calcium mineral water, given to Group B2 instead of placebo for an additional month, significantly enhanced ionized-calcium levels above the lower limit of normality (Group B2 vs Group B1, NS). CONCLUSION These experiments show that calcium supplementation as 1 L/d of a high-calcium mineral water may efficaciously enhance blood calcium levels in thyroidectomized patients. This complementary treatment might at least in part contribute to the prevention and/or treatment of hypocalcemia and substitute vitamin-D and calcium therapies after thyroidectomy.