Background: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is the most important method for determining a diagnosis in the evaluation of a thyroid nodule. Frequently it is reported as follicular neoplasm and cannot differentiate between a benign and a malignant lesion.
Methods: We prospectively studied 75 patients who underwent FNA for diagnostic
evaluation of a thyroid nodule and had their results reported as a follicular neoplasm, during one year period in Govt Medical college, Kozhikode. The objective of the study was to analyse the incidence and histopathologic types of malignancy in these cases.
Results: Total 75 patients reported as follicular neoplasm underwent thyroidectomy.
The final histopathologic profile was as follows: Sixty three (84%) patients had benign pathology while 12 (16%) patients were diagnosed with malignant lesions. Most common benign conditions reported were colloid goiter (n=36; 57.1%) and follicular adenoma n=21; 33.3%). The malignant lesions included 9 cases of papillary carcinoma (75%) and 3 cases of follicular carcinoma (25%). Among 12 patients who turned to have malignancy, there were 2 (16.6%) males and 10 (83.3%) females. Those patients with malignancy were in the age between 21 and 40 years. Both male patients with malignancy had PTC. Among
females, 3 patients had follicular carcinoma and 7 patients had PTC, 5 of them being FVPTC.All the malignant nodules were more than 2cm size.
Conclusions: This study observed a 16% incidence of thyroid cancer in the nodule designated as follicular neoplasm. So this data support considering total thyroidectomy in a patient with the FNAB diagnosis of follicular neoplasm when the age is below 40 years and nodule size more than 2cm.
Impact Factor
2022: 6.012
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