title: Incidental thyroid carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to find out the frequency of incidental thyroid carcinoma (ITC) in patients presumably operated for benign thyroid diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  a total of 187 patients undergoing surgery for benign thyroid diseases were included in the study. All the patients underwent fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). Only those with benign diseases on FNAC were studied. Patients with undetermined cytology and follicular neoplasm were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 187 patients operated histology revealed ITC in 38 (20.3 %) of patients. The mean size of the nodule was 4.28 ± 1.48 cm in benign group and 4.21 ± 1.98 cm in ITC group. Papillary carcinoma was the commonest ITC (97.4 %) and follicular variant (16/38) was found more often than micropapillary variant (3/38). ITC was more common in patients with solitary nodule, 23 of 38 (60.5 %), although it wasn't statistically significant (P value 0.262) 0.33 of 38 (86.8 %) were in euthyroid state (P value 0.029).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the result of this study show, a high frequency of ITC (20.3 %). ITC was more frequent in euthyroid patients (P value 0.029). Incidence of ITC is not significantly different between patients presenting with SNG from those with MNG (P value 0.262). Papillary carcinoma was the commonest ITC (97.4 %) and follicular variant (16/38) was found more often than micropapillary variant (3/38).
authors.affiliation: Dept of Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Pondicherry, 607402 India.
authors.forename: Nikhil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nanjappa
authors.affiliation: Dept of Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Pondicherry, 607402 India.
authors.forename: Abhilash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Dept of Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Pondicherry, 607402 India.
authors.forename: Sudeepta Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Swain
authors.affiliation: Dept of Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Pondicherry, 607402 India.
authors.forename: T Tirou
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Aroul
authors.affiliation: Dept of Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Pondicherry, 607402 India.
authors.forename: S Robinson
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Smile
authors.affiliation: Dept of Pathology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Pondicherry, 607402 India.
authors.forename: Dhananjay
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kotasthane
keywords: Benign thyroid disease; Incidental thyroid carcinoma