Clinical endocrinology
-
Clinical endocrinology · Mar 1994
Case ReportsMetastatic thyroid cancer presenting as thyrotoxicosis: report of three cases.
Three patients with metastatic thyroid follicular carcinoma developed thyrotoxicosis. Two had mild T3 toxicosis without detectable TSH binding inhibitor immunoglobulins (TBII) or thyroid stimulating antibodies (TSAb). ⋯ The third patient developed thyrotoxicosis several months after treatment with 131I had commenced and this was associated with concurrent increase in both TBII (90%; normal, less than 11%) and TSAb (2100%). We conclude that thyrotoxicosis in patients with metastatic thyroid carcinoma may result from a large bulk of tumour functioning either autonomously or after stimulation by TSH receptor antibodies.