IL-1ß a potential factor for discriminating between thyroid carcinoma and atrophic thyroiditis.

Interactions between cytokines and others soluble factors (hormones, antibodies...) can play an important role in the development of thyroid pathogenesis. The purpose of the present study was to examine the possible correlation between serum cytokine concentrations, thyroid hormones (FT4 and TSH) and auto-antibodies (Tg and TPO), and their usefulness in discriminating between different thyroid conditions. In this study, we investigated serum from 115 patients affected with a variety of thyroid conditions (44 Graves' disease, 17 Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 11 atrophic thyroiditis, 28 thyroid nodular goitre and 15 papillary thyroid cancer), and 30 controls. Levels of 17 cytokines in serum samples were measured simultaneously using a multiplexed human cytokine assay. Thyroid hormones and auto-antibodies were measured using ELISA. Our study showed that IL-1ß serum concentrations allow the discrimination between atrophic thyroiditis and papillary thyroid cancer groups (p = 0.027).

T2 laryngeal carcinoma with impaired mobility: subtypes with therapeutic implications.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome in the treatment of T2 laryngeal carcinoma with impaired laryngeal mobility, comparing surgical management to radiotherapy in terms of local control and survival. The files of 66 patients treated between 1988 and 1994 were retrospectively studied for tumor location, treatment and outcome. Forty-two patients were treated surgically and 24 by radiotherapy. Follow-up averaged 8.5 years. Local recurrence occurred in 12.5% of the cases treated by conservation laryngeal surgery and in 21% of the cases by radiotherapy. Ultimate laryngeal preservation was achieved in 90.9% of the cases initially treated by partial laryngectomy and in 87.5% of the cases treated by radiotherapy. Five-year actuarial survival rates were 90% and 28%, respectively. A higher rate of metastases and second primaries occurred in the group treated by radiotherapy. T2 laryngeal carcinoma amenable to partial laryngectomy had a higher local control rate than the cases not amenable to conservation surgery and treated by radiotherapy. Tumors differed in the two treatment groups in location and extensions, despite the fact that all were T2 tumors. We emphasize the limits of retrospective studies. Only prospective randomized studies will determine the true results of surgery versus radiotherapy for a homogeneous subset of T2 laryngeal tumors.