Adenylate cyclase activity as a predictor of thyroid tumor aggressiveness

Prior studies in our laboratory have shown that human thyroid neoplasms have a greater adenylate cyclase activity in response to thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) than does the adjacent histologically normal thyroid tissue. However, there is little information relating activity of the TSH receptor‐adenylate cyclase system to the type of thyroid neoplasm. Thyroid tissue from 67 patients was divided by clinical and histological criteria into 6 categories: normal (59), benign tumors (20), stage 1 carcinoma—intrathyroidal involvement only (25), stage 2 carcinomaregional lymph node involvement (6), stage 3 and 4 carcinoma—tissue invasion or distant metastasis (11), and medullary carcinoma (3). Adenylate cyclase activity in an 8,000 x g thyroid membrane preparation was determined in the basal state and when maximally stimulated with 300 mU/ml TSH. The cyclase responsiveness was the ratio of TSH stimulated adenylate cyclase activity compared to basal adenylate cyclase activity. The cyclase responsiveness by category is: normal, 2.8±0.2 (mean ± SEM); benign, 17.9±2.4; stage 1 carcinoma, 9.2±1.9; stage 2 carcinoma, 4.0±1.0; stage 3 and 4 carcinoma, 1.6±0.4; and medullary carcinoma, 1.05±0.04 (for the neoplasms,p