Abstract:

Objective    To investigate the association between serum TSH concentration and differentiated thyroid carcinoma(DTC). Methods    Retrospective analysis was made on 371 cases of thyroid tumor that underwent surgery. Relationships among TSH, goiter size and DTC, as well as the relationship between the stage and the TSH level were analyzed. Thyroid tumors were determined as benign or DTC according to pathological findings. The patients were divided into different groups based on goiter diameter and the level of TSH.  Result    120 patients were confirmed as DTC. The risk of malignancy increased as serum TSH rose. The P values were 0.018, 0.605, 0.036, 0.005 in the subjects with serum TSH＜0.28mU/L(58.33%), 1.46-2.28mIU/L (26.92%), 2.29-4.2mIU/L(37.14%), ≥4.2mIU/L (46.67%) or 0.28-1.45mU/L (23.81%),  respectively. The group in which the diameter of the thyroid tumor was less than 2cm showed higher risk of DTC than  other groups（2.03.9cm,  P＜0.001; ≥4cm, P=0.027). Stage III and IV DTC were  associated with a higher mean TSH than stage I and II （P=0.012）. Conclusions    The incidence of DTC is related to the serum TSH concentration and thyroid tumor size.

Key words: Differentiated thyroid carcinoma; Thyroid Stimulating Hormone