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PubMed1997

Changing concepts in the diagnosis and management of thyroid nodules.

Thyroid nodules are extremely common, affecting from 4% to 7% of the population. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy is the most accurate and cost-effective technique for nodule diagnosis. It is simple, safe, and should be the first test used in patient work-up. Routine thyroxine (T4) suppressive therapy is no longer recommended for cytologically benign nodules. T4 suppression can cause or aggravate osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women. New data on T4 suppressive therapy, cost analysis, and nodule guidelines are reviewed.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

An aggressive approach to the surgical management of suspicious thyroid nodules.

Thyroid cancer accounted for about 2.5% of all new cancers among Canadian females in the year 2000. The surgical management of well-differentiated thyroid cancer remains controversial. We reviewed 100 consecutive cases of total thyroidectomy for thyroid masses suspicious for malignancy done between 1998 and 1999. When feasible, a capsular dissection was performed using only the bipolar cautery for hemostasis. The accuracy of preoperative diagnosis and complications of surgery are evaluated. We suggest that total thyroidectomy can be performed, without excessive morbidity. If performed for all suspicious thyroid nodules, it will eliminate the need for completion thyroidectomies and high ablative does of 131I.

Adenocarcinoma, Follicular↗
PubMed2004

6: Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.

Thyroid nodules are common clinically (prevalence, about 5%) and even more common on ultrasound examination (about 25%). About 5% of thyroid nodules are malignant. Most thyroid cancers are well-differentiated papillary or follicular tumours with an excellent prognosis (10-year survival, 80%-95%). The incidence of papillary thyroid cancer appears to be increasing on the east coast of Australia. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid is the most cost-effective diagnostic tool. Recommended initial management of all follicular carcinomas and of papillary carcinomas > 1.0 cm is total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine ablation. Most patients should be managed postoperatively with doses of thyroid hormone sufficient to suppress plasma levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone. Recurrences can occur many years after initial therapy, and follow-up should be lifelong. Thyroid nodules are very common, but have a relatively low risk of malignancy

Adenoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Usefulness of 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy and fine-needle aspiration cytology in patients with solitary thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology and thyroid scintigraphy (TS) in patients with solitary thyroid nodules. We retrospectively reviewed a series of 657 consecutive patients (531 (80.8%) women and 126 (19.2%) men, median age 45 years, range 16-81 years) with solitary thyroid nodules. Prior to surgery, all patients underwent FNA cytology whilst 99mTc-pertechnetate TS was performed in 496 (75.5%) patients. Final histopathology showed 533 (81.1%) benign nodules, including 251 (38.2%) follicular adenomas and 124 (18.9%) thyroid carcinomas. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy in the detection of thyroid cancer were 95.8%, 21.1%, 22.6%, 95.5% and 35.7% for TS, and 81.4%, 99.4%, 97.1%, 95.8% and 96.0% for FNA cytology. The presence of thyroid cancer was confirmed in 92 out of 407 (22.6%) patients with a "cold" nodule, in 4 (4.5%) patients who had normal or increased uptake on TS, in 101 out of 104 (97.1%) patients with smears suggesting malignancy, and in 3 out of 533 (0.6%) smears suggesting benign lesions. In conclusion, the specificity of TS is low and this technique should be abandoned as a routine test in patients with nontoxic thyroid nodules. However, a more careful evaluation should be suggested for patients with cold thyroid nodules and a FNA cytology that reads follicular neoplasm.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Electrical impedance scanning of thyroid nodules before thyroid surgery: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Electrical impedance scanning (EIS) is a novel imaging technique based on differential electrical conductivity and capacitance of malignant and normal human tissues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of EIS in the detection of thyroid malignancies. METHODS: Patients with thyroid nodules scheduled for thyroid surgery were eligible for the study. Enrolled patients underwent EIS with a T-Scan 2000ED. Nodule location, size, and type (cystic vs. solid) measured by ultrasound, cytology results, thyroid conductivity, and capacitance calculated by EIS were recorded. EIS results were interpreted as positive or negative for malignancy and compared with final histopathology results. Study end points included EIS accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values, and false-positive and false-negative rates. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients were enrolled onto the study, and all underwent either lobectomy-isthmusectomy (20%) or total thyroidectomy (80%). The mean tumor diameter was 2.64 +/- 14.8 mm. Thyroid cancers were identified by histology in 30 patients (46.9%). There were 11 false-positive and four false-negative cases. The overall diagnostic accuracy of EIS was 76.6% (49 of 64 correct diagnoses). The sensitivity and specificity of EIS were 86.7% (26 of 30 true positive) and 67.6% (23 of 34 true negative), respectively. The corresponding positive and negative predictive values were 70.3% and 85.2%. CONCLUSIONS: EIS is a potentially useful imaging modality for differentiating thyroid neoplasms. If these results are confirmed in large-scale trials, EIS may be an important part of the evaluation of thyroid nodules.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Incidence and types of non-palpable thyroid nodules in thyroids removed for palpable disease.

The purpose of this study was to determine the number, size and types of non-palpable and ultrasound undetected thyroid nodules in thyroid glands removed for a single palpable nodule. Twenty patients undergoing partial (hemi- and subtotal) thyroidectomy and 40 patients having a total thyroidectomy were analyzed. Patients had no more than one palpable nodule, no cervical adenopathy and no history of previous thyroid surgery. An ultrasound was performed routinely within four months of surgery. Forty-six nodules were detected by final pathology in the partial thyroidectomy group but only 42% were detected by palpation and 59% by ultrasound. The median diameter of non-palpable and ultrasound undetected partial thyroidectomy nodules was 0.5 cm and all were benign except for one case of lymphoma. Pathology detected 186 nodules in the total thyroidectomy group although palpation only detected 22% of these and ultrasound 42%. The median diameters of the benign and malignant non-palpable nodules were 0.4 cm and 0.25 cm respectively. Most of the undetected nodules in the total thyroidectomy group were benign but there were 20 non-palpable and 18 ultrasound undetected papillary carcinomas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer: surgical aspects.

Patients with thyroid nodules must be treated selectively because these nodules develop far more frequently than does thyroid cancer. A thorough clinical history, family history and history of radiation, as well as an accurate physical examination, are very important in determining whether surgical treatment is indicated. Thyroid function tests, a radioactive isotope scan, a thyroid echogram and fine-needle biopsy are also useful. Although there is considerable debate concerning the amount of thyroid tissue that should be removed at operation, the minimal procedure for a "cold," solid thyroid nodule is a total thyroid lobectomy and isthmectomy. This is the treatment of choice for patients with occult papillary thyroid carcinoma. Partial lobectomy is to be discouraged. Near total or total thyroidectomy should be considered for all other patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. Many factors influence the prognosis of patients with thyroid cancer including age, sex, type of thyroid cancer, invasion, symptoms, lymph node metastasis, metastasis to distant sites, extent of the surgical procedure, and use of radioactive iodine and thyroid hormone. With adequate treatment, the prognosis for differentiated thyroid carcinoma is excellent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Comments on the treatment of thyroid nodules with thyroid hormone].

It is debatable whether treatment of thyroid nodules with thyroid hormones is effective, results of clinical trials, even randomized, being inconclusive, none of them showing significant efficacy of this therapy. Two questions remain unanswered: what is the natural history of these nodules and is it possible to identify patients with these heterogeneous lesions who will respond to treatment? Currently available study data show a marked level of spontaneous regression or even total disappearance of the nodules. Further long-term clinical trials appear indicated, including a sufficient number of patients and a large cohort of untreated patients.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

Evaluation and management of the solitary thyroid nodule.

Thyroid nodular disease is very common in the United States, with palpable nodules occurring in approximately 5% of adults, especially in women. Because of the possibility of a single nodule being cancerous (albeit only approximately 5%), a thorough clinical evaluation, including a detailed history and physical exam, must be undertaken. Fine needle aspiration biopsy is the cornerstone of the laboratory evaluation of thyroid nodules, and its use in recent years has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of thyroid surgeries being performed, while increasing the yield of malignant lesions of patients who have undergone operation. The utility of levothyroxine suppression in patients with benign thyroid nodules continues to be controversial.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

A prospective study of thyroid ultrasound scan in the clinically solitary thyroid nodule.

Thyroid ultrasound differentiates solid from cystic lesions, solitary nodules from multinodular and diffuse enlargement, and extrathyroidal lesions. Two hundred consecutive patients with a clinically solitary thyroid nodule were investigated by ultrasound examination, thyroid function test, and thyroid auto-antibodies. Patients with confirmed solitary solid, or mixed solid and cystic nodules underwent surgery as well as those with cysts, multinodular or diffuse goitres with pressure symptoms, recurrent haemorrhage or relapsing hyperthyroidism. Comparison between the ultrasound and ultimate pathological findings in the 101 patients who underwent surgery showed that they were in agreement in 96 cases. The remaining 99 patients with cystic, multinodular or diffuse lesions have been followed up for a mean of two years. Nearly 50% of patients with a clinically solitary thyroid nodule have avoided surgery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer--diagnostic aspects.

The clinical evaluation of patients with thyroid nodules is a common problem confronting the clinician. The vast majority of such nodules are benign, but concern that such a thyroid swelling may harbour malignancy demands prompt and accurate diagnosis. Furthermore, it is clear that properly treated differentiated thyroid carcinoma is associated with an excellent prognosis. The objective of investigating patients presenting with thyroid nodules is to define the small number of malignancies with minimum inconvenience to the patient in the most cost-effective way. There are no laboratory tests which reliably differentiate benign from malignant disease. The traditional approaches of radionuclide and ultrasound scanning have been shown to be poorly specific in the diagnosis of malignancy, resulting in many unnecessary operations for benign lesions. These tests have been replaced in many centres by fine needle aspiration cytology, with surgery for abnormal cytological findings alone. This technique is easily performed in an out-patient clinic and is well tolerated; accuracy in the diagnosis of thyroid neoplasia of up to 97% can be achieved.

Humans↗
PubMed1980

Clinical evaluation of 201thallium chloride scan for thyroid nodule.

Thyroid scintigraphy with Tl in the evaluation of nodules was investigated. A Tl scan was performed on 55 patients with thyroid nodules previously scanned with Tc or I. In the case of 16 carcinomas, accumulation of Tl was shown in every case. In addition, some lymph node metastases were depicted. (Accumulation was noted also in some of the metastatic lymph nodes.) Cold defect was delineated in ten cases of colloid and fetal adenoma, although accumulation was shown in four cases of Hürthle and embryonal adenoma. Six cases of degenerative cysts were delineated as cold defect. As for colloid nodular goiter, the affinity to the individual nodule was not constant. In general, degenerative and cystic nodules showed less activity and hyperplastic solid nodules showed more activity than normal tissue. We concluded that although a Tl scan cannot differentiate between benign and malignant tumors satisfactorily, it is nevertheless useful for determining surgical indication, as the case showing Tl accumulation on the scan is malignant or benign tumor with poorly differentiated solid type and possiblility of further growth and malignant change.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗
PubMed1974

Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.

A review of clinical and laboratory features of thyroid cancer, designed to help in a more precise selection of patients for operation, showed that factors contributing to a high index of suspicion of cancer include previous exposure to low doses of radiation, the presence of a firm, solitary thyroid nodule clearly different from the rest of the gland, a young patient, nodules that are "cold" on scan with radioiodine, and nodules that fail to regress after an adequate trial of thyroxine therapy. Factors contributing to a low index of suspicion of thyroid cancer include soft or cystic lesions, multinodular goiters, nodules that are "hot" on (131) I scan, and those that regress during thyroxine treatment. When these factors are used to select patients for surgical operation, about 30 percent are found to have thyroid cancer. Until more precise methods for preoperative diagnosis are established, it is suggested that this type of clinical selection may be very helpful in the management of patients with thyroid nodules or nontoxic goiter.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Thyroid nodules and thyroid carcinoma.

Seventy carcinomas of the thyroid gland were found in 1300 thyroidectomies for an incidence of 5.4%. The incidence of malignancy in single nodules was 9.7% and in multinodular nontoxic goiter 4.3%. The risk of cancer was higher (14.2%) in males than in females (4.3%). The highest incidence of cancer was found in children under the age of 10 (40%). Radioactive iodine scintiscanning was of limited help in differentiating benign from malignant nodules. Early surgery is advised for all patients with single thyroid nodules and all thyroid nodules in children should be excised.

Abscess↗
PubMed2006

Thyroid hemiagenesis: clinical significance in the patient with thyroid nodule.

Thyroid hemiagenesis is a rare abnormality in which one thyroid lobe fails to develop. Most of the patients diagnosed have an associated thyroid disease. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman who presented with a left thyroid mass which had been gradually increasing in size over a period of two years. A thyroid scan revealed the absence of the right thyroid lobe and isthmus, and a hypoactive nodule was evident in the lower pole of the left lobe. Ultrasonography confirmed the right lobe and the isthmus agenesis. The operative findings confirmed hemiagenesis of the right lobe and nodular hyperplasia in the left lobe. The purpose of this report is to present a patient with hemiagenesis of the thyroid gland who concomitantly had nodular hyperplasia; we also stress the importance of pre-operative differentiation between benign lesions and malignancy in order to aid critical decision making and to facilitate preservation of thyroid function if possible.

Adult↗