Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Cytological diagnostics has got an established position in thyroid diseases. In the recent years, attempts have been undertaken to use the biological material, left in needles after cytological preparation is ready, to obtain additional diagnostic data.

Goal of study: The goal of the study was evaluation of the possibility to use the results of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for confirmation of either the presence or the absence of lymphomatous cells in patients with thyroid disease and with coexisting lymphoma in extrathyroid localisation.

Methods: The evaluation was performed in two (2) patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma of low malignancy and with coexisting thyroid disease. The first patient was with diagnosed, chronic, autoimmunological thyroiditis with status of compensated hypothyroidism (anti-TPO >600.00 IU/ml, anti-Tg – 401.60 IU/ml). The other patient had a non-toxic, nodular goitre. FNAB of the thyroid gland was performed in either of the patients. Following smear preparation, the aspiration needles were flushed with PBS solution. Then, an analysis of the lymphocyte phenotype was done by means of flow cytofluorometry, using a panel of commercially available monoclonal antibodies.

Results: In both studied cases, the material, obtained in FNAB, was diagnostically sufficient and appropriate for the evaluation to be accomplished. No features of clonal lymphocyte proliferation were found in result of the analysis. Regarding the cytodiagnostic categories of thyroid diseases, the result of FNAB in the patient with Hashimoto’s disease was non diagnostic, while in the patient with nodular goitre, it did confirm the clinical diagnosis.

Conclusions: The presence of proliferative cells, identified by flow cytometry, is a simple method to make complete cytological diagnostics in patients with parallel thyroid pathologies and diseases of the haematopoietic system.

It can be used to extend the diagnostics of focal changes in the thyroid gland, especially in patients with chronic thyroiditis.