Is Thyrotropin Receptor Antibody Positivity Associated with Cytology and Histopathology Results in Patients with Graves’ Disease?

Objective: The effect of thyrotropin receptor antibody positivity on the cytology and histopathology of nodules developing on the basis of Graves’ disease is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between thyrotropin receptor antibody positivity and cytological and histopathological results in Graves’ disease patients.

Methods: A total of 598 patients who underwent thyroidectomy due to Graves’ disease and had preoperative thyrotropin receptor antibody levels were evaluated retrospectively. The study population was divided into 2 groups as thyrotropin receptor antibody-positive and -negative. Thyroid nodule cytology, histopathology results, and tumor characteristics in cases with thyroid cancer were compared between the groups.

Results: Thyrotropin receptor antibody was found as negative in 239 (40%) patients and positive in 359 (60%) patients. Cytological results were available in 363 nodules in the thyrotropin receptor antibody-negative and 185 nodules in the thyrotropin receptor antibody-positive group, and there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of cytology results (P > .05, all). Malignancy was detected in 13.4% of patients in the thyrotropin receptor antibody-positive group and in 13.8% patients in the thyrotropin receptor antibody-negative group (P=.878). There was no difference between the groups in terms of the incidence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (P=.299). The incidences of incidental carcinoma and microcarcinoma were similar in the groups (P=.521 and P=.613). There was no case with lymph node metastasis in both groups. Capsular invasion, vascular invasion, and extrathyroidal extension rates were similar between the groups (P > .05, all).

Conclusion: Contrary to the literature, we found that thyrotropin receptor antibody positivity did not increase the incidence of malignancy and did not affect cytology and histopathology results in Graves’ disease patients.

Cite this article as: Başer H, İnce N, Turan Erdoğan B, et al. Is thyrotropin receptor antibody positivity associated with cytology and histopathology results in patients with graves’ disease? Turk J Endocrinol Metab. 2022;26(3):131-135.