Endocrine Abstracts

Background

It is known that the thyroid gland is sensitive to the damaging effects of irradiation, and patients who have received radiotherapy for tumor treatment require regular thyroid screening subsequently. A few cases of thyroid cancer after receiving 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) therapy in the treatment of neuroblastoma in childhood have been described (HM van Santen et al 2012; SC Clement et al, 2013). Here, we report the two cases of papillary thyroid cancer in adolescents after treatment of neuroblastoma in childhood without applied of 131I-MIBG therapy.

Patient findings

A 14-year-old girl, treated neuroblastoma at the age of 11 months, and a 17-year-old girl, treated at the age of 9 months, were both diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer at 12 and 13 years, respectively. In both cases surgery and chemotherapy have been used to treat neuroblastoma in childhood (without 131I-MIBG therapy). Thyroid cancer was discovered in nonpalpable nodules by thyroid ultrasound. Papillary thyroid carcinoma with capsular invasion was detected after surgical treatment in both, with lymph node metastasis in the second patient, what required 131I-therapy.

Conclusions

In this cases the development of thyroid cancer in adolescents is not associated with the treatment of neuroblastoma with 131I-MIBG in childhood, as described in previous articles. The development of several types of cancer is possibly associated with the presence of the hereditary tumor syndromes and requires further diagnostic molecular genetic research.