Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate the relevance of autoimmunity in the cytological results for the thyroid nodules referred to FNAB (fine-needle aspiration biopsy).

Materials and methods: Our study included 590 patients who underwent FNAC in 615 nodules between December 2015 and January 2019. Besides demographic data and routine endocrine investigations (thyroid hormonal status, presence of autoimmunity, the actual or past use of levothyroxine or inhibitors of the synthesis of thyroid hormones), we retrospectively collected data regarding localization, ultrasonographic (US) Ti-RADS (Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System) evaluation and Bethesda based cytology findings. We analysed the obtained data using IBM SPSS Statistics 20.

Results: We investigated 590 patients, from which 77 men (mean age 54.91 ± 14.902 years old) and 513 women (mean age 52.05 ± 13.635 years old). Our analysis revealed that 10 male patients had thyroid autoimmunity (12.98%) and 155 out of 513 female patients (30.21%, P = .002, r = .129). The Bethesda based results were: 70 (11.16%) category I, 459 (72.17%) category II, 75 (11.79%) category III, 16 (2.52%) category IV and 15 (2.36%) category V. Autoimmunity was present in 6 cases of Bethesda V (6.66%), 1 case of Bethesda IV (18.75%, 23 cases of Bethesda III (12.5%), 123 cases of Bethesda II (12.66%) and 22 cases of Bethesda I (12.85%), with no statistical significance in neither of these categories, nor comparing malignant – benign or diagnostic – non-diagnostic results. Also, important to mention, the presence of autoimmunity did not interfere with the TI-RADS score, and it was present in only 3 of the 29 cases that were confirmed after surgery as thyroid cancer and in 2 of the 23 patients that were diagnosed with benign thyroid nodules post thyroidectomy (the rest were lost to follow-up).

Conclusions: Considering the lack of information of how the presence of autoimmunity could interfere with the cytological results of nodules referred for FNAB, we tried to demonstrate the the simultaneous diagnostic of thyroid autoimmunity does not tamper with the beneficial outcome of FNAB. Further research is needed in order to assign a more radical conclusion.