Thyrotoxicosis with pegylated interferon alfa-2b.
BACKGROUND: Despite adequate surgery, a diagnosis of stage III melanoma carries a high risk of relapse, and hence mortality. Interferon alfa is the only treatment that has currently been shown to alter the natural history of the disease, delaying relapse-free survival, particularly in patients with...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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2010
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| _version_ | 1797093214395564032 |
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| author | Lowndes, SA Asher, R Middleton, MR |
| author_facet | Lowndes, SA Asher, R Middleton, MR |
| author_sort | Lowndes, SA |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | BACKGROUND: Despite adequate surgery, a diagnosis of stage III melanoma carries a high risk of relapse, and hence mortality. Interferon alfa is the only treatment that has currently been shown to alter the natural history of the disease, delaying relapse-free survival, particularly in patients with micrometastatic disease. There is also recent evidence of a prognostic advantage conferred by the development of autoimmune conditions in patients receiving adjuvant interferon therapy. OBSERVATIONS: We present the case of a 27-year-old woman with stage IIIa melanoma who was entered into the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer 18991 trial of 5-year adjuvant treatment with pegylated interferon (peginterferon) alfa-2b. The patient developed thyrotoxicosis 3 months after commencing treatment, which required treatment with propylthiouracil. The degree of thyrotoxicosis corresponded closely to the dose of peginterferon alfa-2b given. However, in this patient, the hyperthyroidism resolved spontaneously after 4 years when peginterferon treatment was still ongoing. Seven years following the initial diagnosis, the patient has not had disease relapse. CONCLUSION: Hyperthyroidism is less common than hypothyroidism as a consequence of interferon therapy, and this case is atypical in that it resolved spontaneously during interferon therapy but is in accordance with the recent evidence of a positive association between interferon-associated autoimmunity and prognosis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T03:57:04Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:c33d72c5-b63d-48f2-ad16-ff0dda5ce86d |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T03:57:04Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:c33d72c5-b63d-48f2-ad16-ff0dda5ce86d2022-03-27T06:14:56ZThyrotoxicosis with pegylated interferon alfa-2b.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:c33d72c5-b63d-48f2-ad16-ff0dda5ce86dEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2010Lowndes, SAAsher, RMiddleton, MR BACKGROUND: Despite adequate surgery, a diagnosis of stage III melanoma carries a high risk of relapse, and hence mortality. Interferon alfa is the only treatment that has currently been shown to alter the natural history of the disease, delaying relapse-free survival, particularly in patients with micrometastatic disease. There is also recent evidence of a prognostic advantage conferred by the development of autoimmune conditions in patients receiving adjuvant interferon therapy. OBSERVATIONS: We present the case of a 27-year-old woman with stage IIIa melanoma who was entered into the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer 18991 trial of 5-year adjuvant treatment with pegylated interferon (peginterferon) alfa-2b. The patient developed thyrotoxicosis 3 months after commencing treatment, which required treatment with propylthiouracil. The degree of thyrotoxicosis corresponded closely to the dose of peginterferon alfa-2b given. However, in this patient, the hyperthyroidism resolved spontaneously after 4 years when peginterferon treatment was still ongoing. Seven years following the initial diagnosis, the patient has not had disease relapse. CONCLUSION: Hyperthyroidism is less common than hypothyroidism as a consequence of interferon therapy, and this case is atypical in that it resolved spontaneously during interferon therapy but is in accordance with the recent evidence of a positive association between interferon-associated autoimmunity and prognosis. |
| spellingShingle | Lowndes, SA Asher, R Middleton, MR Thyrotoxicosis with pegylated interferon alfa-2b. |
| title | Thyrotoxicosis with pegylated interferon alfa-2b. |
| title_full | Thyrotoxicosis with pegylated interferon alfa-2b. |
| title_fullStr | Thyrotoxicosis with pegylated interferon alfa-2b. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thyrotoxicosis with pegylated interferon alfa-2b. |
| title_short | Thyrotoxicosis with pegylated interferon alfa-2b. |
| title_sort | thyrotoxicosis with pegylated interferon alfa 2b |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lowndessa thyrotoxicosiswithpegylatedinterferonalfa2b AT asherr thyrotoxicosiswithpegylatedinterferonalfa2b AT middletonmr thyrotoxicosiswithpegylatedinterferonalfa2b |