This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Smyth, P. P. A. Articles by O’Higgins, N. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Smyth, P. P. A. Articles by O’Higgins, N. J.

Serum Thyroid Peroxidase Autoantibodies, Thyroid Volume, and Outcome in Breast Carcinoma¹

Endocrine Laboratory, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics and Department of Surgery, St. Vincent’s Hospital and University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. P. P. A. Smyth, Endocrine Laboratory, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Woodview, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland. E-mail: ppa.smyth{at}ucd.ie

The prevalence of thyroid peroxidase autoantibodies (TPO.Ab) was assessed in patients with either breast carcinoma or benign breast disease, and its association with disease outcome in breast carcinoma was studied. TPO.Ab were detected by direct RIA in serum from 121/356 (34.0%) of patients with breast carcinoma, compared with 36/194 (18.5%) of controls (P < 0.001); and in 31/108 (28.7%) with benign breast disease, compared with 12/88 (13.6%) of controls (P < 0.05). Survival analysis in a group of 142 women with breast carcinoma demonstrated that TPO.Ab titres 0.3 U/mL were associated with a significantly better disease-free [relative risk (RR) = 1.84, P < 0.05] and overall survival (RR = 3.46, P < 0.02), compared with those who were TPO.Ab-negative. Better outcome associated with higher TPO.Ab titres was confined to those who had thyroid volumes within the intermediate range (10.1–18.8 mL) and did not further enhance the good outcome recorded when volumes were 10.0 mL or > 18.8 mL. Multivariate survival analysis showed that both TPO.Ab and thyroid volume were independently associated with prognosis in breast carcinoma and that RRs for disease-free survival were of a similar order of magnitude to well-established prognostic indices such as axillary nodal status or tumor size. These findings supply evidence that manifestations of thyroid autoimmunity are associated with a beneficial effect on disease outcome in breast carcinoma and provide the strongest evidence to date of a biological link between breast carcinoma and thyroid disease.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E Giustarini, A Pinchera, P Fierabracci, M Roncella, L Fustaino, C Mammoli, and C Giani Thyroid autoimmunity in patients with malignant and benign breast diseases before surgery. Eur. J. Endocrinol., May 1, 2006; 154(5): 645 - 649. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. E. Tomkiel, H. Alansari, N. Tang, J. B. Virgin, X. Yang, P. VandeVord, R. L. Karvonen, J. L. Granda, M. J. Kraut, J. F. Ensley, et al. Autoimmunity to the Mr 32,000 Subunit of Replication Protein A in Breast Cancer Clin. Cancer Res., March 1, 2002; 8(3): 752 - 758. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. T. Kilbane, R. A. Ajjan, A. P. Weetman, R. Dwyer, E. W. M. McDermott, N. J. O’Higgins, and P. P. A. Smyth Tissue Iodine Content and Serum-Mediated 125I Uptake-Blocking Activity in Breast Cancer J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., March 1, 2000; 85(3): 1245 - 1250. [Abstract] [Full Text]