Diagnosis, pathology, and management of TSH-secreting pituitary tumors. A single-center retrospective study of 20 patients from 1981 to 2014.

TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone)-secreting tumors are the rarest type of pituitary tumor. The objective of this study was to describe initial presentation and follow-up in patients presenting TSH-secreting tumors and to characterize the pathological features, based on a cohort of 20 patients treated in our referral center, between 1981 and 2014. Most of the patients (75%) were female, aged around 50 years (mean: 50±13 years). Initial symptoms were hyperthyroidism (8/20) and/or tumor mass-related symptoms. Median time to diagnosis was 18 months. Biochemical hyperthyroidism was found in 15 patients. Most of the tumors were macroadenomas (75%) and 30% were invasive. Seventeen patients underwent transsphenoidal surgery. All tumors expressed TSH, with>50% positive cells. Eleven were monohormonal and 6 plurihormonal, expressing ßTSH plus growth hormone (GH) and/or prolactin (PRL). Both subtypes showed high expression of Pit-1 and SSTR2A somatostatin receptors. SSTR5 was slightly expressed in the plurihormonal subtype. Ki-67 index was elevated (≥3%) in only one tumor. Signs of hyperthyroidism were more frequent in the plurihormonal than in the monohormonal subtype. At final follow-up (median: 34.79±66.7 months), 75% of the patients were in complete remission after surgery; persistent hyperthyroidism was controlled by somatostatin analogs, alone (n=3) or associated to radiotherapy (n=1). The multidisciplinary approach promoted early diagnosis and control of hyperthyroidism by neurosurgical treatment, associated to somatostatin analogs or not. Clinical/pathological correlations highlighted the variations in immune profiles and in clinical and biological symptoms.

Predicting thyroid nodule malignancy at several prevalence values with a combined Bethesda-molecular test.

Investigation of thyroid nodules using fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) gives indeterminate results in up to 30% of samples using the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC). We present a combined Bethesda-molecular predictor of nodule malignancy to improve the accuracy of the preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules. To detect a molecular signature of thyroid nodule malignancy, a molecular test was performed on FNACs from 128 thyroid nodules from prospectively included patients, collected in a tertiary center. The test relied on a transcriptomic array of 20 genes selected from a previous study. An optimal set of seven genes was identified using a logistic regression model. Comparison between the combined predictor (TBSRTC + molecular) and TBSRTC alone used the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Performance of the combined predictor was calculated according to various malignancy prevalence values and benefit-to-harm ratios (B/Hr) (favoring sensitivity or specificity). In our population (36% malignancy prevalence) and with a B/Hr of 1, the combined predictor achieved 95% specificity and 76% sensitivity. The AUC was 93.5%; higher than that of TBSRTC (P = 0.004). Among indeterminate nodules (30% malignancy prevalence), sensitivity and specificity were 52.2% and 96.2%, respectively, with a B/Hr of 1, or 95.7% and 64.2% with a B/Hr of 4 (favoring sensitivity), allowing avoidance of 64% of unnecessary surgeries at the cost of only one false-positive result. In conclusion, this predictor could improve the detection of thyroid nodule malignancy, taking into account malignancy prevalence and B/Hr, and reduce the number of unnecessary thyroidectomies.

Histopathological changes induced by selective inactivation of menin on the thyroid gland in RET÷PTC3 and E7 transgenic mice. A study of 77 cases.

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 (MEN1) does not involve the thyroid gland, but animal studies have shown that mice with inactivation of menin could develop thyroid pathologies. The objective was to evaluate if the selective inactivation of menin in murine thyroid glands expressing RET÷PTC3 and E7 oncogenes, might induce an increased index of proliferation and a more rapid development of thyroid hyperplasia and÷or tumors. The thyroid glands of 77 mice aged 4-18 months (31 expressing the E7 oncogene and 25 the RET÷PTC3 oncogene) were analyzed for histological changes and Ki67 proliferation index. Fifty-two mice had selective inactivation of menin in the thyroid gland (16 mice with RET÷PTC3 oncogene and 19 mice with E7 oncogene). As compared to wild type, mice with inactivation of menin presented an increased Ki67 proliferation index. Mice presenting the E7 oncogene showed larger thyroid glands with a pattern of diffuse hyperplasia. Mice expressing the RET÷PTC3 oncogene presented larger thyroid glands compared to the wild type mice but smaller compared to E7 mice. The lesions in the RET÷PTC3 group were "proliferative papillary cystic changes" (60%), "cribriform" (16%), "solid" (8%) and a combination of these patterns in the rest of the thyroid glands. The inactivation of menin in the thyroid gland of young mice does not seem to change the histological pattern, but it influences the proliferation of follicular cells. Further molecular studies especially in aged mice are needed to better understand the correlation between certain oncogenes and the inactive status of menin.

Thyroid function during the first year of recombinant human growth hormone therapy in short stature children.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between rhGH treatment and thyroid function has been the subject of numerous studies. Some say that rhGH treatment unmasks central hypothyroidism, other say that rhGH induces subclinical primary hypothyroidism. AIM: To assess the changes in thyroid function in short stature children in the first year of treatment with rhGH and the impact on growth velocity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We evaluated 37 patients treated with rhGH, 5 were excluded because developed side effects during treatment. We measured height, height velocity, and height standard deviation gain during treatment and thyroid function during the first year of treatment. RESULTS: We observed a slight increase in the TSH level and no significant change in the f T4 level after the first 3-6 months of treatment in all the groups; in GH deficiency (GHD) patients, we observed a statistically significant decrease of the f T4 level after the first 3-6 months, without a significant increase of the TSH level. After the first year, thyroid function returned to baseline. There were no differences between height velocities in all the groups, except from the GHD patients. CONCLUSIONS: The slight increase in the TSH level and the decrease of f T4 level might unmask a transient subclinical primary hypothyroidism but these changes do not influence the growth velocity in first year of rhGH treatment.