Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: It is now well demonstrated that thyroid disorders are more frequent in acromegaly than in normal population. Our aim is to analyze thyroid cancer frequency in a cohort of Algerian subjects with acromegaly.

Material and methods: It is a retro and prospective study where 77 hyper somatotropic subjects were enrolled (34F and 43M) mean age=39ans (12–58). Mean GH rate=59 ng/ml (7–597, n<5). All had clinical examination, routine analyses, hormonal assessment, echosonography, fine nodule aspiration, and cytology. When the cytology was suspect or malignant the patients were operated on.

Results: Among this group, one subject (female case) had a well proved vesicular thyroid cancer (1.29%), and it was a multifocal one.

Conclusion: Our frequency, equal to 1.29%, is similar to Gasperi’s multicenter study in Italy and lower than De Santos’ work in Brazil (7.2%). Although thyroid cancer frequency varies from study to study, it is higher than in normal population. So, patients with acromegaly should be systematically submitted to thyroid ultrasounds. If nodules are found a fine nodule aspiration and cytology are recommended for all the nodules, especially when they are solid, hypo echoic, larges or with imprecise limits.