Slow release lanreotide in combination with interferon-alpha2b in the treatment of symptomatic advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Somatostatin analogs are promising agents in the treatment of medullary thyroid carcinoma. We have evaluated the effects of the slow release somatostatin analog lanreotide in combination with interferon-alpha2b in seven patients with advanced and symptomatic medullary thyroid carcinoma. The frequency and intensity of daily flushing episodes and bowel movements, the intensity of fatigue, weight, performance status, calcitonin levels, and change in tumor masses were recorded before and during treatment. No objective complete or partial responses were recorded. However, disease stabilization and minor tumor regression were observed in three of seven and two of seven patients, respectively. The number and intensity of bowel movements and flushing episodes decreased in five of six and two of two patients, respectively. Decrease in fatigue and improvement in performance status were observed in five of seven and six of seven patients, respectively. Weight gain was recorded in three of four patients. Plasma levels of calcitonin decreased significantly in six of seven patients. Clinical benefit, evaluated by a structured algorithm, was achieved in six of seven patients and was coupled with a decrease of 50% or more in serum calcitonin levels in three of seven patients. In conclusion, the combination of lanreotide with interferon had a major impact on clinical symptoms and was well tolerated.

Evaluation of goiter endemia by ultrasound in schoolchildren in Val Sarmento (Italy).

Ultrasonography is an excellent and objective method for assessing thyroid volume, especially in children where clinical evaluation is inaccurate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of goiter by thyroid ultrasound and palpation in 244 schoolchildren, 6 to 14 years old, living in some rural villages of Val Sarmento, a mountain area of Basilicata, Italy. In 1996 we revealed the presence of endemic goiter in 25% of the schoolchildren evaluated by palpation, according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, and in 15.9% of the schoolchildren evaluated by ultrasonography (7.5 MHz linear probe). The median urinary iodine excretion, taken from an extemporaneous sample of the first urines in the morning, was 62.2 microg/l. This study includes Val Sarmento, an area with mild-moderate grade (Grade I) of iodine deficiency, suggesting the need for iodine prophylaxis. Furthermore, it proves that the measurement of thyroid volume by ultrasonography is an essential instrumental method for a correct epidemiological study of endemic goiter, particularly in areas where there is mild iodine deficiency.

Bone mineral density in premenopausal women receiving levothyroxine suppressive therapy.

Osteoporosis is a well-known complication of thyrotoxicosis. Prolonged subclinical hyperthyroidism due to L-thyroxine treatment has been associated with reduced bone mass and thus with the potential risk of premature development of osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a chronic L-thyroxine suppressive treatment on bone mineral density (BMD) in a group of premenopausal women. Forty consecutive patients (mean age +/- SE = 40.95 +/- 1.56 years) affected by non-toxic goiter underwent bone mineral densitometry (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; DEXA) of the lumbar spine (L1-L4) and right femoral neck. At the time of the study the patients had been under thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppressive therapy for 74.95 +/- 10.34 months (range 17-168 months). Baseline levels of free thyroxine (fT4), free triiodothyronine (fT3), TSH, calcium and phosphorus were measured and correlated with BMD. The age of starting, duration of treatment, main daily dose, cumulative dose of treatment and body mass index (BMI) were also correlated with BMD. Statistical analysis was performed by multiple linear regression. BMD among female patients was not significantly different from that of the general population matched for age and sex. With the use of the regression model, no significant correlation was found between BMD and the variables considered. In conclusion, our data suggest that L-thyroxine suppressive therapy, if carefully carried out and monitored, has no significant effect on bone mass.