International Journal of Endocrinology

Research Article

Positive Antithyroid Antibodies and Nonsuppressed TSH Are Associated with Thyroid Cancer: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Table 2

Characteristics of patients with thyroid cancer and benign nodules. Thyroid hormone therapy, positivity of anti-TPO and anti-Tg, ultrasound signs of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, TSH <0.5 mIU/l, TSH >5 mIU/l, TV >75, and percentile and thyroid volume < 25. Percentiles are expressed in percent.


	Malignant	Benign

Age	57 (41–66)	57 (41–66)	0.95
Gender (M : F)	20 : 71	40 : 142	1
Levothyroxine therapy	21/91 (23%)	47/182 (26%)	0.72
Thyroid volume (ml)	13.8 (9.5–19.5)	12.7 (9–18.5)	0.55
TSH (mIU/l)	1.88 (0.92–2.93)	1.21 (0.59–1.87)	<0.001
Positivity of anti-TPO	40/91 (44%)	49/182 (27%)	0.005
Positivity of anti-Tg¹	27/78 (35%)	36/174 (21%)	0.018
Ultrasound signs of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis	32/91 (35%)	49/182 (27%)	0.16
TSH under 0.5 (mIU/l)	11/91 (12%)	40/182 (22%)	0.029
TSH over 5 (mIU/l)	5/91 (5,5%)	7/182 (3,8%)	0.53
Thyroid volume > 75. percentile (18 ml)	24/85 (28%)	48/175 (27%)	0.78
Thyroid volume < 25. percentile (9 ml)	21/85 (25%)	39/175 (22%)	0.66

TSH and thyroid volume are expressed in median (interquartile range). TSH: thyroid-stimulating hormone; anti-TPO: antibodies against thyroid peroxidase; anti-Tg: antibodies against thyroglobulin. ¹17 malignant patients were excluded from anti-Tg analysis due to missing anti-Tg results.