Dy, Benzon M.

We performed a retrospective study of our large patient cohort aiming to examine the ability to predict postthyroidectomy hypocalcemia. A retrospective review of patients who underwent total or near-total thyroidectomy at our institution between 2008 and 2018 was performed. Postoperative hypocalcemia was defined as Ca level <8.0 mg/dL (reference range: 8.9–10.1 mg/dL) within 30 days of operation. Logistic regression was used to develop models for prediction of the occurrence of postoperative hypocalcemia. Inclusion criteria were met by 1463 patients. Hypocalcemia was documented in 223 patients (15%). Models based on parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels alone had an associated receiver operator characteristic with an areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.79. There was an inverse relationship between time of measurement and PTH levels within the first two hours after thyroidectomy ( P < 0.01). When measured two to six hours after closure, the predictive ability of PTH compared favorably (AUC = 0.82) with either earlier (within the first two hours after closure, AUC = 0.79) or later measurement (6–24 hours after closure, AUC = 0.77). When measured between two and six hours postoperatively, PTH < 19 pg/mL had a sensitivity of 90 per cent and negative predictive value of 96 per cent for postoperative hypocalcemia. The model that included the PTH level, concurrently measured total blood calcium level, and time of measurement had an improved predictive ability with an AUC of 0.87. PTH level of 19 pg/mL measured two to six hours after thyroidectomy had a sensitivity of 90 per cent and a negative predictive value of 96 per cent in our cohort. The model including postoperative PTH level, calcium level, and time of measurement may further improve the ability to predict postthyroidectomy hypocalcemia.

There are few reports confirming the validity of sentinel lymph biopsy in patients with a background of lymphoproliferative disease. We reviewed nine cases of women who underwent sentinel lymph node (SLN) surgery for staging of primary breast cancer with a diagnosis of lymphoproliferative disease. SLN identification rate was 100 per cent with a background of lymphoma in the sentinel node in eight of the nine patients. With a mean follow-up of 37 months, there have been no axillary recurrences in any of these patients. These cases illustrate that SLN staging is feasible and provides axillary staging information in women with breast cancer despite synchronous lymphoproliferative disease.

Abstract Introduction: Cowden syndrome patients are at an increased risk of developing differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). There are limited studies of thyroid cancer biology within this population. We aimed to describe the frequency and progression of DTC in this population. Method: We reviewed all patients with clinically or genetically confirmed Cowden syndrome treated at our institution between 1979 and 2017. Presentation, operative details, pathology, and adjuvant treatment for all thyroid diseases were analyzed. Results: Forty-seven patients were identified. Thirty-seven received a clinical diagnosis while 10 tested positive on genetic testing for the PTEN gene. Average follow-up time was 10 years. Twenty-three patients underwent a total thyroidectomy. Nine patients were diagnosed with thyroid cancer, with a mean age of 28.5 years, 4 cases of the follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), 4 of PTC, and 1 of cystic PTC. One patient required an interval lateral neck dissection but no patients developed distant metastasis. Fourteen patients underwent thyroidectomy, 12 due to follicular adenoma, Hürthle cell adenoma, or multinodular goiter, 1 due to Graves’ disease, and 1 who elected to undergo a prophylactic thyroidectomy. No mortality was associated with thyroid cancer in these patients. Conclusion: Patients with Cowden syndrome are at a significantly increased risk of developing DTC and have a younger age of onset. In this study, 20% of the patients with Cowden syndrome were diagnosed with DTC, but distant metastasis and overall mortality were absent. Clinical features were similar to those of sporadic DTC, proving that, apart from screening, Cowden syndrome-related DTC can be treated in similar fashion.

AbstractIntroductionPatients undergoing unilateral adrenalectomy for primary aldosteronism (PA) may have a solitary adenoma, unilateral hyperplasia, or multiple adenomas on final pathology. This study investigated whether the underlying pathological diagnosis was associated with differences in clinical presentation and postoperative outcomes.MethodsA retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing unilateral adrenalectomy for PA from 2004 to 2015 at our institution was performed. Baseline clinical and laboratory parameters, as well as postoperative biochemical and hypertension cure rates, were compared across the three aforementioned pathological groups.ResultsOf 206 patients who met criteria for inclusion, 152 (73.8%) had a single adenoma, 33 (16%) had unilateral hyperplasia, and 21 (10.2%) had multiple unilateral adenomas. Patients with unilateral hyperplasia were more likely to be male (81.2% vs 57.9%, P = .03), undergo left‐sided adrenalectomy (78.8% vs 47.4%, P < .01), and had a lower median adrenal venous sampling lateralization index (9.8 vs 19.8, P = .04) compared to those with solitary, but not multiple unilateral adenomas. No differences were seen in age, duration of hypertension, preoperative plasma aldosterone levels, plasma renin activities, 24‐h urinary aldosterone excretion, serum potassium concentrations, and the number of preoperative antihypertensive medications across all three pathological groups. All patients achieved biochemical cure following adrenalectomy, and no significant differences in the rates of hypertension cure or improvement were observed in comparisons across pathological subtype.ConclusionsClinical presentation and postoperative outcomes are similar regardless of underlying pathology in patients with PA. Because one in four patients may harbor unilateral hyperplasia or multiple adenomas, total unilateral adrenalectomy should be performed as the operation of choice over adrenal‐sparing approaches.