Endocrine Abstracts

Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is a relatively mild disease if detected early.

The aim of the study was ultrasound evaluation of thyroid gland, selection of thyroid nodules with high chances of malignancy, and their verification in fine-needle aspiration (FNA), as well as assessment of TSH concentration and antiTPO titre.

The study involved 100 patients. DTC was diagnosed in 14 patients and undifferentiated or medullary thyroid cancer in two patients.

Cancer was diagnosed in seven out of 21 (33.3%) patients with normal thyroid size and in eight out of 71 (11.3%) patients with enlarged thyroid gland (P=0.0162)

The smallest nodule with positive FNA results had measurements of: 8 mm×10 mm×7 mm. The largest observed volume was a medullary thyroid cancer.

Papillary cancers had the lowest median volume.

Among 25 patients with a single nodule, 5 (20%) were diagnosed with cancer.

In patients with multiple nodules, cancer was diagnosed in 11 out of 75 (14.7%) (P=0.5287).

FNA was positive in 12 (19.1%) subjects with solid nodules and for 11 (14.7%) nodules with both solid and fluid parts (P=0.3282).

The nodules were hypoechogenic in all patients with positive FNA and in 58 (69.1%) patients with negative FNA (P=0.0097).

Microcalcification occurred significantly more often in positive-FNA patients (P=0.0059).

50% nodules with positive FNA had hypervascular central flow, in one case – intensive central flow, in two cases there was no flow in the nodules.

Positive FNA results were found in seven out of 15 (46.7%) patients with diabetes II and in nine out of 85 (10.6%) without diabetes (P=0.0004).

The following factors proved to increase the risk of thyroid cancer: hypoechogenic, solid, microcalcification, and increased central hypervascular flow nodules.

Diabetes significantly increased the risk of thyroid cancer. Enlarged volume of the thyroid gland and the number of nodules did not affect the probability of cancer.