An Autobiographical Case Report on Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Positive Antithyroid Antibodies: Coincidence or...

The relationship between autoimmunity and cancer has been a gray area, with many theories but no solid proof so far. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder and a major cause of hypothyroidism, while papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most common thyroid malignancy generally found in patients younger than 45 years of age. The literature on the correlation between these two disorders is somewhat based on potentially biased histopathological examination from pre-operative fine needle aspiration and post-thyroidectomy samples. Although recent studies are evaluating a possible holistic molecular, hormonal, and histopathological foundation for this correlation, a clear causal relationship has not been established yet. This report illustrates the author's case presentation, treatment, and eventual outcome of the disease when she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer at the age of 25 years, with positive antithyroid peroxidase and antithyroglobulin antibodies.