title: Hashimoto's thyroiditis and carcinoma of the thyroid: optimal management.
abstract: Several authors have noted a high incidence of thyroid carcinoma in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), and some have even considered HT a premalignant condition. The authors evaluated all patients with surgically proven HT at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York from 1985 through 1990. Of these 48 patients, 8 (17%) had thyroid carcinoma in addition to HT. No statistically significant difference between patients with and without concurrent carcinoma was noted in the percentage of patients with a dominant mass, irregular thyromegaly, compressive symptoms, suspicious fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs), or a cold nodule on thyroid scintigraphy. However, patients with neither a positive FNAB nor a cold nodule were much less likely to have carcinoma than patients with one or both of these tests positive (0% vs. 26%, P < or = .05). A management scheme for patients with HT is proposed to adequately and efficiently evaluate and treat patients for concurrent thyroid carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, New York Medical College, NY 10003.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Sclafani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valdes
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery