Management approaches to adrenal incidentalomas (adrenalomas). A view from Athens, Greece.

We believe the management of adrenalomas should include the following: 1. A detailed history and physical examination to detect subtle evidence of hormonal hypersecretion or the possibility of metastatic carcinoma 2. Hormonal studies, such as The short dexamethasone suppression test (2 mg of dexamethasone) followed by a high-dose dexamethasone suppression test (8 mg), CRH assay, and analysis of the diurnal cortisol rhythm if serum cortisol is greater than 3 micrograms/dL 24-Hour (or spot) urinary catecholamine metabolites (metanephrine and normetanephrine) Plasma aldosterone level and renin activity in the hypertensive or normotensive patient with serum potassium less than 3.9 nmol/L 3. Additional imaging studies, such as MR imaging 131I-iodocholesterol (NP59) scanning to detect a subclinically functioning adenoma or carcinoma (MIBG scanning is rarely indicated) The role of FNA is limited. This modality may be helpful only in the patient with coexistent extradrenal carcinoma to confirm adrenal metastasis. Although genetic and molecular biology studies do not have wide clinical application, they should be encouraged and supported. Once all of these data are collected, the clinician should perform the following two steps: 1. All clearly nonfunctioning adrenalomas that are not suspicious for malignancy should be observed for several years, mainly with hormonal studies, until their secretory and benign nature is confirmed. 2. All patients with adrenalomas with evidence of subclinical function or potential for malignancy (using size, imaging, FNA, and molecular biology criteria) should undergo laparoscopic adrenalectomy for definitive diagnosis and therapy. The age, the overall medical condition, and the anxiety of the patient should be considered in the decision to operate on a patient with an adrenaloma.

Dietary and other risk factors in the aetiology of cholelithiasis: a case control study.

We studied the effect of dietary factors and a variety of other risk factors on the development of cholelithiasis through a case control study. The study involved 96 cases and 118 age and sex matched controls. All cases and controls were interviewed with regard to a variety of risk factors and frequency of consumption of over 100 food items. Analysis was done both by chi square and a multiple logistic regression model. From all the dietary factors the only ones that showed a positive statistically significantly (p less than 0.05) association was consumption of animal fat as expressed by eating all visible fat on the meat and using butter on the table. Interestingly high consumption of olive oil had a negative (protective) association with the disease. A negative association was also found with smoking and holding a job demanding hard labor.

Does coffee consumption protect against thyroid disease?

In a case-control, serially matched study, 70 patients with thyroid cancer, 55 with benign thyroid disease and 71 controls were interviewed in regard to a variety of socioeconomic, social and dietary characteristics. Statistical analysis revealed a strikingly negative (p less than 0.05) association between benign and malignant thyroid disease and consumption of coffee. After adjustment for possible confounding variables, the association remained statistically significant. The mechanism by which coffee consumption may play a protective role against development of benign or malignant thyroid neoplasms may be the stimulatory effect of caffeine on the intracellular cyclic AMP production, which is known to inhibit cell growth.

Primary hyperparathyroidism and nonmedullary thyroid cancer.

Of 2,058 patients who had surgically proven primary hyperparathyroidism at the Mayo Clinic from 1965 through 1979, 51 or 2.5 percent had associated nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma. A history of radiation exposure to the head and neck was obtained in 14 of 43 patients questioned. Thyroid disease consisted of grade 1 papillary adenocarcinoma in 48 cases and pure follicular adenocarcinoma in 3 cases. The parathyroid disease included 41 single adenomas and 5 cases of parathyroid hyperplasia; 5 patients had 2 adenomas. At follow-up, none of the patients had evidence of metastatic thyroid carcinoma. Ten patients were receiving calcium or vitamin D supplementation for protracted hypocalcemia presumably due to the increased insult to the parathyroids from combined bilateral thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. More consecutive thyroidectomy, along with parathyroid autotransplantation when indicated, will provide definitive treatment of the thyroid cancer and at the same time minimize the risk of postoperative hypoparathyroidism.