Thyroid nodules
| Thyroid nodule | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Human thyroid with cancer nodules | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | endocrinology |
| ICD-10 | E04.1 |
| ICD-9-CM | 241.0 |
| DiseasesDB | 5332 |
| MedlinePlus | 007265 |
| eMedicine | med/3224 |
| MeSH | D016606 |
Thyroid nodules are lumps which commonly arise within an otherwise normal thyroid gland. They indicate a thyroid neoplasm, but only a small percentage of these are thyroid cancers.
Often these abnormal growths of thyroid tissue are located at the edge of the thyroid gland and can be felt as a lump in the throat. When they are large or when they occur in very thin individuals, they can sometimes be seen as a lump in the front of the neck.
Sometimes a thyroid nodule presents as a fluid-filled cavity called a thyroid cyst. Often, solid components are mixed with the fluid. Thyroid cysts most commonly result from degenerating thyroid adenomas, which are benign, but they occasionally contain malignant solid components.
After a nodule is found during a physical examination, a referral to an endocrinologist, a thyroidologist or otolaryngologist may occur. Most commonly an ultrasound is performed to confirm the presence of a nodule, and assess the status of the whole gland. Measurement of thyroid stimulating hormone and anti-thyroid antibodies will help decide if there is a functional thyroid disease such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis present, a known cause of a benign nodular goitre.Fine needle biopsy for histopathology is also used.
Thyroid nodules are extremely common in young adults and children. Almost 50% of people have had one, but they are usually only detected by a physician during the course of a health examination or fortuitously discovered during the investigation of an unrelated condition.
One approach used to determine whether the nodule is malignant is the fine needle biopsy (FNB), which some have described as the most cost-effective, sensitive and accurate test. FNB or ultrasound-guided FNA usually yields sufficient thyroid cells to assess the risk of malignancy, although in some cases, the suspected nodule may need to be removed surgically for pathological examination. The report may be done according to the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology.
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