thyroid tumours

Tinea capitis attained epidemical proportions in the fifth and sixth decades in Portugal, as in other countries. The best approach to treat tinea capitis infection was X-ray scalp epilation of the children, combined with topical antimycotic ointments.

X-ray scalp epilation for tinea capitis (scalp ringworm) treatment was used in 1950-1960. The study of individuals submitted to this therapeutic approach has shown an increase head and neck tumours prevalence, namely thyroid cancer. As we had access to a cohort of individuals submitted to this treatment in the North of Portugal, we searched for the more frequent thyroid tumours mutations (BRAF, NRAS and RET/PTC rearrangement), in a subgroup of individuals from the original cohort that developed these tumours.

Na década de 50-60 foi usada a epilação do couro cabeludo através do uso de raios X para o tratamento da tinea capitis (tinha). O estudo destes indivíduos mostrou um aumento da frequência de tumores na zona da cabeça e pescoço, nomeadamente de tumores da tiróide. Tendo tido acesso a uma cohorte tratada desta forma no norte de Portugal, foi realizada uma pesquisa das mutações mais frequentes dos tumores da tiróide (BRAF, NRAS e o rearranjo cromossómico RET/PTC), num grupo de indivíduos desta cohorte que desenvolveram esses tumores.