HYPERTHYROIDISM AND ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE THYROID GLAND

The repercussions of malignant disease on the function of the organ involved are vaguely understood. The effects on organs which secrete hormones are varied, but it is not beyond reason to assume that a malignant lesion originating in an endocrine gland can possess some of the same secretory properties as the benign epithelial tissue from which it derives. The thyroid gland may be the site of such a lesion. It has long been established that the active tissue in the thyroid gland is the epithelium, and frequently evidences of hyperthyroidism are reflected by morphologic changes in the thyroid epithelial cell. It is conceivable that the activity of the thyroid may be altered by the development within the gland of a malignant epithelial tumor or an adenocarcinoma. Because an accurate laboratory test exists to measure the activity of the thyroid gland, it is an ideal organ with which to evaluate the