Open AccessThe rate of tumour growth does not distinguish between malignant and benign thyroid nodules
Author(s) -
Asanuma Kazuhiko,
Kobayashi Shinya,
Shingu Kiyosi,
Hama Yoshihisa,
Yokoyama Shiro,
Fujimori Minoru,
Amano Jun
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
european journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1741-9271
pISSN - 1102-4151
DOI - 10.1080/110241501750070538
Subject(s) - medicine , thyroid nodules , malignancy , thyroid , nodule (geology) , radiology , thyroid cancer , papillary thyroid cancer , ultrasonography , ultrasound , pathology , paleontology , biology
Objective: To clarify whether or not the rate of tumour growth is a useful measure for distinguishing papillary thyroid cancer from benign nodules. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Teaching hospital, Japan. Subjects: Fourteen patients with 27 nodules (<20 mm) followed up for 20 months or more. Interventions: High resolution ultrasonography (US). Main outcome measure: Growth rate. Results: There were 15 papillary thyroid cancers and 12 benign nodules. The median tumour diameters at the first and the last US examination were 9.0 mm (range 6–19) and 9.0 mm (range 5–21) in papillary thyroid cancers followed up for 37 months (range 21–85), and 11.5 mm (range 4–19) and 11.5 mm (range 5–23) in benign nodules followed up for 38 months (range 20‐ 84), respectively. Conclusion: The rate of growth of thyroid nodules as documented by ultrasound did not prove to be useful in distinguishing between malignancy and benign disease of small thyroid nodules (<20 mm). Copyright © 2001 Taylor and Francis Ltd.