Thyroid function studies in patients with cancer of the larynx: preliminary evaluation

Abstract

Objective: Our goal was to evaluate thyroid function before and after surgery only or radiotherapy plus surgery for laryngeal neoplasms.

Study design and setting: The study group consisted of a total of 30 patients with laryngeal cancer (22 treated with surgery only and 8 treated with surgery plus radiotherapy) who were evaluated by ultrasensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone, free T4, and antithyroid antibodies both preoperatively and at 6 and 12 months after surgery.

Results: All patients had normal thyroid function before treatment (1 patient had elevated antithyroid autoantibodies); after 1 year, 4 (13.34%) patients were hypothyroid. In 3 patients, it was subclinical (ie, elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone with normal free T4), and in 1 patient, it was symptomatic.

Conclusion: Our preliminary data suggest that hypothyroidism occurs in a small but substantial proportion of patients undergoing surgery with or without adjuvant radiotherapy for laryngeal cancer.

Significance: Thyroid hormone dosing should be routinely included in the assessment of patients with laryngeal cancer, because it is simple and inexpensive and may allow the early diagnosis and management of hypothyroidism.