Risk of malignancy in fine-needle aspiration biopsy in patients with thyroid nodules.
BACKGROUND
Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the cornerstone of thyroid nodule evaluation. In most cases, FNAB can discriminate between benign and malignant disease. In other cases, it is only indicative of malignancy and the results are considered "suspicious". In Denmark, thyroid FNAB results are categorised into six groups: "inadequate", "cystic", "inconclusive", "benign", "suspicious" and "malignant". The risk of malignancy in the Danish "suspicious" group is of interest for patients as well as doctors participating in the diagnosis and treatment. The Danish Thyroid Surgery Database (THYKIR) registers preoperative thyroid FNAB and final histology. The aim of this study was to assess the malignancy risk among patients with a suspicious thyroid FNAB according to the Danish criteria and to identify possible predictors of malignant histology.


METHODS
A prospective cohort counting 483 patients with a "suspicious" thyroid FNAB who had been treated surgically in The Region of Southern Denmark in the 2001-2013 period was retrieved from the THYKIR database.


RESULTS
The risk of malignancy in the Danish thyroid FNAB "suspicious" group is 22%. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone outside the normal range and vocal cord palsy may be patient-related predictors of malignancy.


CONCLUSIONS
Awaiting the introduction of reliable tools for preoperative evaluation, the current practice with histo-logical clarification of the "suspicious" thyroid FNAB seems justified.


BACKGROUND
none.


BACKGROUND
not relevant.
Alice Viktoria
AV
Egset
Camilla
C
Holm
Stine Rosenkilde
SR
Larsen
Susanne Holm
SH
Nielsen
Jacob
J
Bach
Jens Peter
JP
Helweg-Larsen
Louise Vølund
LV
Larsen
Jens Højberg
JH
Wanscher
christian.godballe@rsyd.dk.
Christian
C
Godballe
D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000453:epidemiology
D013972:Thyrotropin