Objective  To investigate the relationship between thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) and clinicopathological features of breast cancer. Methods  Thyroid function data, general clinical data and data reflecting pathological characteristics of breast cancer of 136 breast cancer patients admitted to the Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, People’s Hospital of Wuhan University from December 2019 to April 2022 were collected. According to the TPOAb and TGAb antibody levels of patients, 136 breast cancer patients were divided into positive group (antibody level ≥60 U/mL) and negative group (antibody level < 60 U/mL). The general clinical data, thyroid function, breast cancer markers, tumor size, pathological classification, clinical TNM stage, lymph node metastasis and immunohistochemical index expression characteristics of the two groups were analyzed. Results  There was no statistically significant difference between the TPOAb positive group and the TPOAb negative group, as well as between the TgAb positive group and the TgAb negative group in terms of age, previous chronic medical history, surgical medical history and menstrual status of breast cancer patients (P>0.05), and there was no significant difference in the results of preoperative ultrasound and molybdenum target examination (P>0.05).Compared with the TPOAb negative group, the level of triiodothyronine (T3) in the TPOAb positive group was lower (P=0.020), and the level of thyroidstimulating hormone (TSH) was higher (P=0.001). TSH level in the TgAb positive group was higher than that in the TgAb negative group (P=0.036). There was no significant difference in tumor markers (carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 125 and 153) and the number of lymph nodes cleared during operation between the positive and negative groups of TPOAb and TgAb (P>0.05). Compared with the respective negative groups, there was no significant difference tumor size, pathological classification, clinical TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, pathological molecular classification, and the expression of ER, PR and Ki-67 in the TPOAb positive group and the TgAb positive group (P>0.05). The positive rate of HER-2 expression in the TPOAb positive group was higher than that in the TPOAb negative group (P=0.033). There was no significant difference in HER-2 expression between the TgAb positive group and the TgAb negative group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference between the TPOAb positive group and the TPOAb negative group, as well as the TgAb positive group and the TgAb negative group in terms of chemotherapy, invasive carcinoma with carcinoma in situ, with benign lesions and nerve invasion (P>0.05). There was no significant difference between TPOAb positive group and negative group in vascular tumor thrombus rate and single cancer focus rate (P>0.05). Compared with the TgAb negative group, the TgAb positive group had a lower vascular tumor thrombus rate (P=0.034) and a higher single cancer focus rate (P=0.045). Conclusions  Thyroid autoantibodies positive breast cancer patients have lower T3 level and higher TSH level, and the positive expression of thyroid autoantibodies is related to HER-2 expression, vascular tumor thrombus and the number of tumor foci in breast cancer. It suggests that thyroid autoantibodies TPOAb and TgAb may have an impact on the prognosis of breast cancer.

Citation： LU Man, LIU Hanqing, ZHENG Bilian, CHEN Chuang, SUN Shengrong. Relationship between thyroid autoantibody level and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer. CHINESE JOURNAL OF BASES AND CLINICS IN GENERAL SURGERY, 2022, 29(12): 1597-1604. doi: 10.7507/1007-9424.202207039 Copy