Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can be accompanied by thyroid cancer. It is reported that there is an association between selenium deficiency and thyroid cancer. In addition, it is known that chronic inflammation is another causal factor in the etiology of cancer.

In this study, we aimed to determine whether selenium or oxidative stress is a modifying factor for the association between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and cancer.

Methods: As indicators of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress that occur during the course of these diseases, we determined the serum levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) as well as those of selenium and the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD). We divided the subjects into 3 groups as follows: 20 subjects with papillary cancer plus Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (1st group), 20 subjects with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis alone (2nd group), and the subjects with papillary cancer without Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (3rd group).

Results: Levels of selenium, SOD, catalase and TBARS were measured in serum. Selenium levels were 73.0±3.83 μg/l in the 1st group, 65.0±3.22 μg/l in the 2nd group and 68.1±4.62 μg/l in the 3rd group. SOD levels were 0.27±0.01 U/ml in the 1st group, 0.25±0.02 U/ml in the 2nd group and 0.29±0.01 U/ml in the 3rd group. Catalase levels were 47.34±6.64 nmol/min/ml in the 1st group, 43.34±5.13 nmol/min/ml in the 2nd group and 30.78±4.73 nmol/min/ml in the 3rd group. TBARS levels were 8.2±3.0 nmol/ml in the 1st group, 7.5±0.86 nmol/ml in the 2nd group and 5.55±1.01 nmol/ml in the 3rd group.

Conclusions: Antioxidants such as selenium, SOD, catalase and oxidative stress due to chronic inflammation were not found to be associated with the progression to papillary thyroid cancer in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Serum selenium, SOD, catalase, TBARS levels of the patient groups.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector