Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: diagnostic challenges,histopathologic features and ancillary testing

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is an aggressive thyroid malignancy with high mortality rate. This malignancy arises in thyroid follicular cells either denovo or with an associated differentiated thyroid carcinoma component. Clinically, it usually presents as a rapidly enlarging mass, pain and locally compressive symptoms. Histopathologic variability and heterogeneity often pose diagnostic challenges, especially in scant and paucicellular specimens. This article describes the clinical, histopathologic and molecular features of ATC and also addresses the associated diagnostic limitations and challenges.     

Thyroid Embolization for Nonsurgical Treatment of Nodular Goiter: A Single-Center Experience in 56 Consecutive Patients

PurposeTo investigate the safety and efficacy of thyroid artery embolization (TAE) in the treatment of nodular goiter (NG).MethodsDuring a 5.5-year period, 56 consecutive patients with a NG underwent TAE. In Group A, there were 20 patients with a solitary/dominant 5–11-cm nodule, and in Group B, there were 36 patients with numerous nodules. Of the 56 patients, 47 (84%) had a retrosternal goiter and 25 had hyperthyroidism. In all patients, clinical and radiological evaluations were made at baseline and 6 months after TAE, and these parameters were statistically compared.ResultsIn 56 patients, 145 of the 146 thyroid arteries were successfully embolized. The 30-day mortality rate was 1.8%. Minor and major complications occurred in 25 and 2 patients, respectively. Six months after the TAE, the mean nodule volume was reduced from 80.2 mL to 25.0 mL, the mean thyroid volume was reduced from 147.0 mL to 62.6 mL, and the mean intrathoracic extension was reduced from 31.7 mm to 15.9 mm (P < .001). Of the 22 patients with non–Graves hyperthyroidism, 19 (86%) became euthyroid. The mean thyroid-related patient-reported outcome scores improved from 155.4 to 70.4 (P < .001). Of the 51 patients, 50 (98%) declared that they would recommend TAE to other patients with NG.ConclusionsTAE is safe and effective for the treatment of NG, with a significant volume reduction of the nodule(s) and thyroid gland.     

甲状腺乳头状癌前上纵隔淋巴结转移临床病理特征初步分析

目的 探讨肿瘤位置、最大直径及甲状腺外浸等临床病理特征与甲状腺癌前上纵隔淋巴结转移的关系。 方法 研究分析初次手术治疗的60例甲状腺乳头状癌患者临床及病理资料,运用检验临床病理特征与前上纵隔淋巴结阳性率的相关性。 结果 肿块位置、最大直径、数量、腺体外侵、受累腺叶数及Ⅵ区淋巴结转移等特征,以及患者年龄等相关因素中,只有VI区淋巴结对前上纵隔淋巴结状态有影响;60例患者前上纵隔淋巴结转移率为10/60(16.67%)。相关因素的前上纵隔淋巴结转移率对比:≥55岁vs <55岁(20% vs 16.36%, P<0.05);肿块位于下极 vs 上极 vs 中极(P>0.05);最大直径≥1.5 cm vs 最大直径<1.5 cm(18.18% vs 15.79, P>0.05);单灶 vs 多灶(21.88% vs 10.71%, P>0.05);单叶 vs 多叶(17.5% vs 15%, P>0.05);男性vs女性(20% vs 15.55%, P>0.05); Ⅵ区淋巴结阳性vs 阴性(24.43% vs 3.57%, P<0.05); 结论 总体来说,甲状腺乳头状癌前上纵隔淋巴结转移率较低。本研究发现VI区淋巴结状态可能与前上纵隔淋巴结转移相关,未来仍需大样本前瞻性的研究验证。     

Differential diagnosis of diarrhoea in patients with neuroendocrine tumours:A systematic review

BACKGROUND Approximately 20% of patients with neuroendocrine tumours(NETs) develop carcinoid syndrome(CS),characterised by flushing and diarrhoea.Somatostatin analogues or telotristat can be used to control symptoms of CS through inhibition of serotonin secretion.Although CS is often the cause of diarrhoea among patients with gastroenteropancreatic NETs(GEP-NETs),other causes to consider include pancreatic enzyme insufficiency(PEI),bile acid malabsorption and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.If other causes of diarrhoea unrelated to serotonin secretion are mistaken for CS diarrhoea,these treatments may be ineffective against the diarrhoea,risking detrimental effects to patient quality of life.AIM To identify and synthesise qualitative and quantitative evidence relating to the differential diagnosis of diarrhoea in patients with GEP-NETs.METHODS Electronic databases(MEDLINE,Embase and the Cochrane Library) were searched from inception to September 12,2018 using terms for NETs and diarrhoea.Congresses,systematic literature review bibliographies and included articles were also hand-searched.Any study designs and publication types were eligible for inclusion if relevant data on a cause(s) of diarrhoea in patients with GEP-NETs were reported.Studies were screened by two independent reviewers at abstract and full-text stages.Framework synthesis was adapted to synthesise quantitative and qualitative data.The definition of qualitative data was expanded to include all textual data in any section of relevant publications.RESULTS Forty-seven publications(44 studies) were included,comprising a variety of publication types,including observational studies,reviews,guidelines,case reports,interventional studies,and opinion pieces.Most reported on PEI on/after treatment with somatostatin analogs;9.5%-84% of patients with GEP-NETs had experienced steatorrhoea or confirmed PEI.Where reported,14.3%–50.7% of patients received pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy.Other causes of diarrhoea reported in patients with GEP-NETs included bile acid malabsorption(80%),small intestinal bacterial overgrowth(23.6%-62%),colitis(20%) and infection(7.1%).Diagnostic approaches included faecal elastase,breath tests,tauroselcholic(selenium-75) acid(Se HCAT) scan and stool culture,although evidence on the effectiveness or diagnostic accuracy of these approaches was limited.Assessment of patient history or diarrhoea characteristics was also reported as initial approaches for investigation.From the identified evidence,if diarrhoea is assumed to be CS diarrhoea,consequences include uncontrolled diarrhoea,malnutrition,and perceived ineffectiveness of CS treatment.Approaches for facilitating differential diagnosis of diarrhoea include improving patient and clinician awareness of non-CS causes and involvement of a multidisciplinary clinical team,including gastroenterologists.CONCLUSION Diarrhoea in GEP-NETs can be multifactorial with misdiagnosis leading to delayed patient recovery and inefficient resource use.This systematic literature review highlights gaps for further research on prevalence of non-CS diarrhoea and suitability of diagnostic approaches,to determine an effective algorithm for differential diagnosis of GEP-NET diarrhoea.     

Papillary thyroid carcinoma with a high tumor mutation burden has a poor prognosis

BackgroundTumor mutation burden (TMB) as a prognostic marker for immunotherapy has shown prognostic value in many cancers. However, there is no systematic investigation on TMB in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).MethodsBased on the somatic mutation data of 487 PTC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), TMB was calculated, and we classified the samples into high-TMB (H-TMB) and low-TMB (L-TMB) groups. Bioinformatics methods were used to explore the characteristics and potential mechanism of TMB in PTC.ResultsHigh TMB predicts shorter progression-free survival (PFS) (P < 0.001). TMB was positively correlated with age, stage, tumor size, metastasis, the male sex and tall cell PTC. Compared to the L-TMB group, the H-TMB group presented with lower immune cell infiltration, a higher proportion of tumor-promoting immune cells (M0 macrophages, activated dendritic cells and monocytes) and a lower proportion of antitumor immune cells (M1 macrophages, CD8⁺ T cells and B cells). Additionally, the characteristics displayed by different TMB groups were not driven by critical driver mutations such as BRAF and RAS.ConclusionsPTC patients with high TMB have a worse prognosis. By stratifying PTC patients according to their TMB, advanced PTC patients who are candidates for immunotherapy could be selected.     

我国甲状腺癌外科治疗近10年进展

近10年来，甲状腺外科快速发展。随着甲状腺外科相关指南、专家共识的不断修订与完善，在专业团体的引导下，中国甲状腺外科在术前诊断、手术方式、治疗方法创新等方面实现了可喜发展，病人5年生存率明显提高。甲状腺疾病诊治技术快速革新、外科术式的发展与统一、多学科诊疗模式发展与应用、术后规范化管理助力疗效提高、重视特殊情况下的甲状腺癌及髓样癌诊治以及质量控制体系的建立与完善等综合发展提升了甲状腺癌诊疗的安全性、精准性，有效的改善了病人生活质量、延长生存时间，为建设健康中国贡献力量。