Solitary thyroid nodule: diagnosis and management.
Thyroid nodules are common. Most are benign lesions since clinically important thyroid carcinoma is a relatively rare disease. The most sensitive and specific test for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer is fine-needle aspiration biopsy, but its diagnostic accuracy depends upon whether or not one excises all suspicious nodules, thus including them as correctly diagnosed. Nevertheless, fine-needle aspiration biopsy is the most sensitive, specific, and cost-effective test for thyroid cancer. Therapy depends upon the cause of the thyroid nodule.
D000236:Adenoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D003560:Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy