title: Incidence of thyroid carcinoma in fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-positive thyroid incidentalomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) whole body positron emission tomography (PET) scan may show clinically occult second lesions. Such lesions in the thyroid are increasingly common. There are several recent reports of a high probability of malignancy in these lesions ranging from 14% to 63%.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective review of 15,711 PET scans at a multi-disciplinary thyroid clinic at a tertiary care university medical center. Twenty-two patients were referred with thyroid PET "incidentalomas." The review included 18 FDG-PET scans, ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsies, and thyroid surgery pathology. Aspiration cytology or pathology were the main outcome measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three patients had malignancy of the PET-positive thyroid lesions. Papillary thyroid micro carcinomas were detected in four of the specimens that showed a benign pathology of the dominant nodule.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our experience shows a 14% malignancy rate for the dominant (imaged) nodule and a total malignancy rate of 32% when the incidental micro carcinomas are included. Both of these rates are significantly lower than results published previously.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA.
authors.forename: Deanne L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Brendan C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Stack
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Spring
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Donald L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Bodenner
mesh_terms: D018249:Adenoma, Oxyphilic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D033162:Incidental Findings; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18