Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is the most frequent thyroid autoimmune disease, while papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is one of the most common endocrine malignancies. A few patients with HT also develop PTC. The aim of this study was to analyze cytokine profiles in patients with PTC accompanied with autoimmune HT in comparison with those in patients with PTC alone or HT alone and healthy subjects. Cytokine levels were determined in supernatants obtained from phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated whole blood cultures in vitro. The concentrations of selected cytokines: Th1-interferon gamma (IFN-γ); Th2-interleukin 4 (IL-4), interleukin 5 (IL-5), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 10 (IL-10) and interleukin 13 (IL-13); Th9-interleukin 9 (IL-9); and Th17-interleukin 17 (IL-17A) were measured using multiplex cytokine detection systems for human Th1/Th2/Th9/Th17/Th22. We found that PTC patients with HT produced significantly higher concentrations of IL-4, IL-6, IL-9, IL-13 and IFN-γ than PTC patients without HT. In conclusion, autoimmune HT affects the cytokine profile of patients with PTC by stimulating secretion of Th1/Th2/Th9 types of cytokines. Th1/Th2 cytokine ratios in PTC patients with associated autoimmune HT indicate a marked shift toward Th2 immunity.
Differentiated thyroid cancers (DTCs) derive from thyroid follicular cells and include papillary and follicular cancers. In patients with DTCs, the initial treatment includes thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine (131-I) therapy. The objective of this study was to examine whether the intensity of DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) of DTC patients depends on the amount of 131-I retained in the selected regions of interest (thyroid and abdominal region) as well as in the whole-body 72 hours after therapy. In addition, the possible influence of other factors that may affect micronuclei (MN) frequency, such as age, gender, smoking habits, and histological type of tumour was analyzed. The study population consisted of 22 DTC patients and 20 healthy donors. Data on the distribution of 131-I were obtained from the whole-body scans. MN frequency and cytokinesis-block proliferation index (CBPI) were measured using cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay. 131-I therapy significantly increased the MN frequency (19.50 ± 6.90 vs. 27.10 ± 19.50 MN) and significantly decreased the CBPI (1.52 ± 0.20 vs. 1.38 ± 0.17) in patients' lymphocytes. There was a clear correlation between the increased MN frequency and 131-I accumulation in the thyroid region in patients without metastases. The MN values did not differ in relation to the factors that could affect MN, such as age, gender, smoking habits, and histological type of tumour. In conclusion, the MN frequency in PBLs of DTC patients without metastases depends on the accumulation of 131-I in the thyroid region and does not depend on the other factors examined.
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