Thyroid incidentalomas: to treat or not to treat.
Incidental lesions of the thyroid gland are an increasing problem facing clinicians. While asymptomatic palpable lesions are detected in only 4-7% of the population, currently available imaging modalities are sensitive enough to detect lesions in 20-30% of the population. Guidelines for managing these incidentalomas are limited, largely due to lack of well-powered prospective studies. This review will address the currently available data on thyroid incidentalomas, detected through clinical examination, cross-sectional imaging, ultrasound, and PET scans. We will focus on the modalities of detection and risk of malignancy, further investigation and management options and the deficiencies therein. We propose a pragmatic algorithm when faced with this clinical dilemma under differing circumstances.
Head and Neck Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
N G
NG
Iyer
Ashok R
AR
Shaha
Carl E
CE
Silver
Kenneth O
KO
Devaney
Alessandra
A
Rinaldo
Phillip K
PK
Pellitteri
Alfio
A
Ferlito
D000465:Algorithms; D003657:Decision Making; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D012307:Risk Factors; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*