[Angioneurotic edema and hypocomplementemia in patients with thyroid cancer]

The combination with a malignant tumour of angioneurotic oedema (ANO) elicited by a disturbance of the complement system was studied. After surgical removal of the tumour the pathologic complement component level may become normal and the angioneurotic oedema may disappear. In the reported case an angioneurotic oedema, the disturbance of the complement component and scintigraphic deviations of the thyroid suggested the presence of a thyroid carcinoma. After thyroidectomy the ANO disappeared and the complement component returned to normal. This case draws attention to the possibility that, beside lymphoproliferative and autoimmune diseases and cancer of the rectum, carcinoma of the thyroid may also be in the background of angioneurotic oedema.