ABSTRACT Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between thyroid function abnormalities and breast cancer and, in particular, the prognostic markers of breast cancer.. Subjects and methods Baseline levels of thyrotropin, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine and thyroid autoantibodies were measured in 97 women with primary breast cancer, 27 women with benign breast disease, and 4 women with atypical ductal hyperplasia. Their baseline levels were compared with those in 48 healthy women with a normal mammography in the last 2 years. Results There were no significant associations between history of thyroid disease and breast cancer (p = 0.33). The mean baseline levels of triiodothyronine and thyrotropin did not differ significantly between the compared groups. The mean baseline levels of free thyroxine were found to be significantly higher in the breast cancer group, even after adjusting for thyroid replacement therapy. The presence of thyroid antibodies did not differ significantly between the compared groups. In a subgroup analysis, breast cancer cases with thyroid disease and particularly hypothyroidism had a significantly lower incidence of lymph node metastases compared with breast cancer cases without thyroid disease. Conclusions Our data confirmed the proliferative effect of thyroid hormones on breast cells, which had previously been shown in vitro. Additionally, thyroid disease and particularly hypothyroid function appeared to be associated with a lower incidence of lymph node metastases. Further studies to determine the prognostic role of thyroid hormones in breast cancer are warranted.

A síndrome metabólica (SM) e a síndrome dos ovários policísticos (SOP) parecem estar relacionadas, embora constituam duas diferentes entidades. Mulheres com SOP são comumente afetadas pela SM, enquanto mulheres com SM podem apresentar as características reprodutivas e hormonais típicas da SOP. Essas observações clínicas podem ser atribuídas apenas parcialmente à presença da obesidade em ambas as síndromes. Isso se deve a uma relação fisiopatológica recíproca com potenciais sequelas de grande significado clínico. Mulheres adultas com SM estão mais propensas ao desenvolvimento de doenças cardiovasculares; mulheres com SOP também convivem com esse risco durante a pós-menopausa. Por outro lado, as mulheres com SM podem apresentar distúrbios reprodutivos, característicos da SOP, numa frequência maior do que as mulheres não portadoras de SM da população geral. Desse modo, este artigo de revisão abordou dados epidemiológicos atuais sobre a SM em adultos e adolescentes com SOP, bem como as informações, que são limitadas, sobre a prevalência de características da SOP em mulheres com SM ou com as características desta. Também foram discutidos os mecanismos fisiopatológicos fundamentais da relação entre essas duas síndromes interligadas, mas distintas.

The metabolic syndrome (MS) and the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) appear to be interrelated, although they are distinct entities. Women with PCOS appear to be commonly affected by MS, while women with MS may display reproductive or endocrine features of PCOS. These clinical observations appear to be only partly attributable to the association of both syndromes with obesity and imply a reciprocal pathophysiologic relationship between PCOS and MS with potentially significant clinical sequelae. Adult women with MS are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease; women with PCOS also appear to carry such an increased risk in their postmenopausal life. Conversely, women with MS may experience reproductive disturbances, reminiscent of PCOS, more commonly than their counterparts from the general population. This review presented the current epidemiology of MS in adults and adolescents with PCOS, as well as the limited amount of data on the prevalence of features of PCOS among women with MS or MS features. We also discuss the potential pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the relationship between these interweaving, but distinct, syndromes.