We assessed the results of treatment in 283 patients with lung or bone metastases from differentiated thyroid carcinoma who were followed for up to 40 yr (median, 44 months) after the discovery of the metastases. The survival rates from the time of discovery of the metastases were 53% at 5 yr, 38% at 10 yr, and 30% at 15 yr; 156 patients died. Multivariate analysis revealed that only 4 variables had an independent prognostic significance for survival. They were extensive metastases, older age at discovery of the metastases, absence of radioiodine uptake by the metastases, and moderately differentiated follicular cell type. The site of metastases (lung or bone) was not a prognostic factor for survival after treatment of metastatic disease. Remission was achieved in 79 patients after metastases were found. The only predictive factor for 5-yr disease-free survival after treatment of metastases was the initial extent of disease. Our results suggest that the aim of management should be to detect and treat metastases in patients with thyroid cancer as early as possible.

Sunmmary Tumour specimens from 23 patients with thyroid carcinoma, 22 patients with thyroid adenoma, 3 with Graves' disease, and tissues from 8 normal thyroid glands were analyzed by Southern blot hybridization for the physical state of c-myc and c-fos proto-oncogenes. In 4 patients, both the primary tumour and lymph node metastases were analyzed. No amplification or rearrangement of the two proto-oncogenes was detected. Total RNAs were also analyzed. Elevated levels of the 2.4kb c-myc RNA and of the 2.2kb c-fos RNA were found in 13/23 (57%) and 14/23 (61%) of the cancer patients, respectively. High levels of c-myc transcripts were more frequently found in thyroid carcinomas with unfavourable prognosis. Concomitant elevated levels of both c-myc and c-fos RNAs were found in 8 cancers. High levels of c-myc RNA were also found in 1 out of 22 specimens of adenoma, in 1 specimen of Graves' disease and in 2 normal thyroid glands. High levels of c-fos RNA were found in 20 of the 22 adenoma samples and in 2 out of 8 normal thyroid tissues. These data indicate that the overexpression of c-myc and c-fos genes is independent of an alteration of the loci. The high levels of c-fos found in adenoma may be associated with the differentiation state of these tumours.

Summary— The distribution of 15N and 14N compounds in cryofixed and resin embedded sections of soybean (Glycine max L) leaves was studied by SIMS microscopy. The results indicate that, with a mass resolution M/ΔM higher than 6000, images of the nitrogen distribution can be obtained from the mapping of the two secondary cluster ions 12C14N− and 12C15N−, in samples of both control and 15N‐labeled leaves. The ionic images were clearly related to the histological structure of the organ, and allow the detection of 14N and 15N at the subcellular level. Furthermore, relative measurements of the 12C14N− and 12C15N− beams made possible the quantification of the 15N atom% in the various tissues of the leaf.

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