Diagnosis of thyroid nodules. Use of fine-needle aspiration and needle biopsy
J. M. Miller, J. I. Hamburger and S. Kini
The accuracy of diagnosis of 455 thyroid nodules evaluated by cytological
and histological specimens obtained by fine- and large-needle biopsy,
respectively, was compared with that for 1,094 nodules previously evaluated
by clinical methods. The use of cytohistological data halved the number of
patients with suspected cancer and doubled the number of patients to be
observed. Cancers identified at operation for high and intermediate
cancer-risk patients increased 75%, and operation for diagnosis of benign
disease decreased 70%. Forty-two of 47 excised cancers were included in the
cytohistological probable cancer group. Only 29 of these cancers were so
classified clinically. Two cancers not diagnosed cytologically were
suspected histologically and vice versa for one cancer. All 51 excised
cytohistologically benign nodules were benign. There were more
false-positive findings with cytological than with histological specimens.
