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Incidental Thyroid Carcinoma

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Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

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).

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Abbreviations

MNG:

Multi-nodular goitre

SNG:

Solitary nodular goitre

ITC:

Incidental thyroid malignancy

FNAC:

Fine needle aspiration cytology

95 % CI:

95 % confidence interval

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Acknowledgments

Authors’ would like to acknowledge Mr. Suresh KP for lending his expertize towards statistical analysis. Authors acknowledge the immense help received from the scholars whose articles are cited and included in references of this manuscript. The authors are also grateful to authors/editors/publishers of all those articles, journals and books from where the literature for this article has been reviewed and discussed.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare no conflict of interests and have not received any source of funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Pondicherry, 607402, India

    Nikhil Nanjappa, Abhilash Kumar, Sudeepta Kumar Swain, T. Tirou Aroul & S. Robinson Smile

  2. Dept of Pathology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Pondicherry, 607402, India

    Dhananjay Kotasthane

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  1. Nikhil Nanjappa
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  2. Abhilash Kumar
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  3. Sudeepta Kumar Swain
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  4. T. Tirou Aroul
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  5. S. Robinson Smile
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  6. Dhananjay Kotasthane
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Correspondence to Nikhil Nanjappa.

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Nanjappa, N., Kumar, A., Swain, S.K. et al. Incidental Thyroid Carcinoma. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 65, 37–39 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-012-0596-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-012-0596-4

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