[Thyroliberin test in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer]

The function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid system was studied in patients with nodular diseases of the thyroid gland to determine the importance of the thyroliberin test for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Patients with thyroid cancer develop profound disturbances in the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid system. Unlike benign nodular thyroid diseases, the cancerous process is marked by suppression of the pituitary responsiveness to stimulation with thyroliberin while the degree of thyrotropin level elevation turns out twice as decreased after thyroliberin administration. The thyroliberin test can be used in differential diagnosis of malignant and benign nodular diseases of the thyroid gland. The sensitivity of cancer as regards "the lowered thyrotropin index" calculated as the ratio of stimulated thyrotropin to basal one constitutes 85%, specificity 89.5%.