Malignancy in Solitary Thyroid Nodules: Evaluation of Risk Factors

Abstract

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate patients with suspicious solitary nodules undergoing bilateral total thyroidectomy for the presence of malignancy. Patients and Methods: 141 patients with true solitary thyroid nodules who underwent bilateral total thyroidectomy at the Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Hospital between 2008 and 2013 were retrospectively evaluated. Parameters including demographics, ultrasonographic findings, and laboratory values were analyzed. Results: When the final pathology results were evaluated, malignancy was found in 52/141 (36.9%) patients. 49 (94.2%) of these lesions were papillary carcinoma. Colloidal nodules accounted for 30.3% of all benign cases. Nodular irregularity, increased vascularity, microcalcification, and central/lateral lymphadenopathy significantly increased the risk of malignancy. Among these factors, increased vascularity was the most important risk factor and microcalcification the second. Nodule size did not affect the risk of malignancy. Conclusion: Irregular borders, microcalcification, increased vascularity, and detection of cervical lymphadenopathy were found to be correlated with malignancy in solitary nodules.

A computer-aided diagnosing system in the evaluation of thyroid nodules—experience in a specialized thyroid center

“…The composition, echogenicity, orientation, margin, and shape were automatically analyzed by the CADs. Microcalcifications are also regarded as a suspected feature of thyroid malignancies [20, 21]. Vascularity could also be a complementary tool in the differentiation of thyroid nodules [22, 23].…”

Thyroid nodules classification and diagnosis in ultrasound images using fine‐tuning deep convolutional neural network

“…In the other hand, various studies have reported that nodule size and nodule shape were not significant risk factors and did not affect the risk of malignancy.…”

High Rates of Underlying Thyroid Cancer in Patients Undergoing Thyroidectomy for Hyperthyroidism

“…However, recent studies have suggested higher rates of underlying malignancy in hyperthyroidism. 9 Therefore, the present study evaluated the effect of hyperthyroidism on risk of thyroid malignancy in patients undergoing thyroidectomy.…”

“…1,7,8 However, recent studies have shown increased rates of thyroid cancer in patients with hyperthyroidism. [9][10][11] In addition, the malignancy seen in these patients has been shown to demonstrate aggressive histologic features. 10,12 The American Thyroid Association's (ATA) recommendation for the management of patients with hyperthyroidism because of Graves' disease is antithyroid drugs, followed by radioactive iodine ablation (RAI) or thyroidectomy for definitive management.…”

“…13 It is likely that the reported low risk of malignancy in hyperthyroidism is an underestimation of the actual risk with various recent studies demonstrating higher rates. [9][10][11] Given the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer and controversial nature of hyperthyroidism in the development of thyroid cancer, this study describes the incidence of malignancy and tumor characteristics in surgical patients with hyperthyroidism.…”