[Usefulness of detecting cancer procoagulant activity and thyrotropic hormone concentration in the differentiation of tumor-like changes in the thyroid].

Epidemiological studies have shown the increased incidence of malignant cancer of the thyroid gland observed in the last decade. This increase is connected with the elevated number of benign tumor-like/tuberous changes in the thyroid gland. Since it is difficult to differentiate diagnostically this pathology, it would be justified to search for biochemical markers which can help to confirm this change. The aim of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of detecting cancer procoagulant activity (CP) and thyrotropic hormone concentration (TSH) in the differentiation of tumor-like changes in the thyroid gland. The study included 15 patients (12 women and 3 men) with adenoma glandulae thyreoideae or nodular changes in the character of struma nodosa hyperplastica and 12 patients (11 women and 1 man) with carcinoma glandulae thyreoideae. A control group consisted of 12 healthy people (5 women and 7 men). CP activity was determined in the serum by the coagulation method according to Gordon and Benson and it was expressed as the coagulation time in seconds (s). TSH concentration was measured by the immunoenzymatic method (MEIA) using an analyzer of Axsym (Abbott) and was expressed in microU/ml. The results of our study indicate that the determination of CP activity can be used in the differential diagnosis of tumor-like changes of the thyroid gland. The concentration ofTSH was within the normal values, despite statistically different mean values between particular groups that results from the fact that patients qualified to surgery were in the state of euthyreosis.