Thyroid cancer detected by ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy.
A greater percentage of thyroid cancers can be detected by ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (UG-FNAB) than by ordinary FNAB. A group of 678 patients were selected sequentially as having been diagnosed with benign nodules by the conventional FNAB method. We reexamined these patients by UG-FNAB and investigated the types of thyroid cancer that were missed by the conventional FNAB. Of the 678 patients diagnosed with benign nodules (using conventional FNAB), 571 (84.2%) demonstrated the same diagnosis when UG-FNAB was used. The remaining 107 patients (15.8%) studied were suspected of having a malignancy after UG-FNAB had been performed. Surgical specimen histology proved thyroid cancer in 99 of the 107 patients: 93 had papillary carcinoma, 4 had follicular carcinoma, 1 had medullary carcinoma and 1 had anaplastic carcinoma. Two drawbacks were noted when conventional FNAB was used: (1) cancer lesions difficult to palpate (n = 55) (e.g., small cancers with or without benign lesions or cancers associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Graves' disease); and (2) palpable cancers with insufficient cell material for analysis (n = 44) (e.g., cystic carcinoma and cancers with calcified lesions. UG-FNAB is a powerful technique for detecting microcancers, cystic carcinomas, cancers associated with benign nodules, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or coarse calcifications.
Yokozawa
T
T
Kuma Hospital, 8-2-35 Shimoyamate Dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650, Japan.
Fukata
S
S
Kuma
K
K
Matsuzuka
F
F
Kobayashi
A
A
Hirai
K
K
Miyauchi
A
A
Sugawara
M
M
D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000708:Anaplasia; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010173:Palpation; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional