Pregnancy following operative and complementary treatment of thyroid cancer

In 1974-1998, 18,602 patients were operated on due to goitre, including 16,575 (89.1%) women and 2,027 (10.9%) men. Thyroid cancer was diagnosed in 975 (5.2%) by histopathologic examination. According to the WHO classification, there were 449 (46.1%) patients with papillary carcinoma, 309 (31.7%) with follicular, 54 (5.5%) with medullary, 106 (10.9%) with anaplastic, and 57 (5.8%) with other types of thyroid malignant neoplasms. Among them, there were 812 (83.3%) women and 163 (16.7%) men. Out of 758 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, 545 (71.8%) were treated complementarily with 131I. After surgery and complementary treatment, 23 (3%) thyroid cancer women (19 with papillary cancer and 4 with follicular one) became pregnant. Seven (30.5%) women were treated complementarily with 131I and levothyroxine, 3 (13.0%) with teleradiotherapy, 131I and levothyroxine, 1 (4.3%) with teleradiotherapy and thyroxine, and 12 (52.2%) only with levothyroxine. All women gave birth to healthy children. None of them developed recurrence before, during and after pregnancy. On the basis of the results obtained and the literature data one can conclude that it is possible to give birth to a healthy child after thyroidectomy and complementary treatment due to thyroid cancer, and that conception should occur after remission is confirmed and not earlier than 1 year after 131I treatment.