title: [Diagnostic yield of fine-needle aspiration cytology for the detection of thyroid cancer in pediatric patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the low frequency of thyroid nodules (TN) in children, one of every four is malignant. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has a high accuracy detecting thyroid cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the performance of FNAC in TN in Chilean children to detect thyroid cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The pathological reports of 77 thyroidectomies and 103 FNAC carried out in patients aged less than 18 years, between 2002 and 2013 were reviewed. In 36 patients aged 15 ± 2 years (77% women), both the reports of the thyroidectomy and FNAC were available. The cytological specimens were reclassified based on Bethesda 2010. The histology was classified as benign (nodular hyperplasia and follicular adenoma, n = 18), or malignant (papillary, follicular and medullar carcinoma, n = 18). The concordance of the cytology with the final biopsy report was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FNAC classified 13 specimens as definitively benign and 13 as definitively malignant. Among these, these concordances with the pathological study of the biopsy was 100%. Of six cytology tests considered "suspicious for follicular neoplasm" by FNAC, four were benign (67%), and two malignant (33%). Of four cytology tests considered "suggestive of carcinoma" by FNAC, one was benign (25%), and three malignant (75%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among the studied children, there was a good concordance between FNAC and surgical biopsies. Therefore a FNAC should be carried out when malignancy is suspected in pediatric patients with a TN.
authors: Francisca
authors: F
authors: Grob
authors: Diego
authors: D
authors: Carrillo
authors: Alejandro
authors: A
authors: Martínez-Aguayo
authors: Pablo
authors: P
authors: Zoroquain
authors: Antonieta
authors: A
authors: Solar
authors: Irini
authors: I
authors: Nicolaides
authors: Hernán
authors: H
authors: González
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy