American Thyroid Association Nonclassifiable Thyroid Nodules: A New Perspective

Thyroid ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franklin Neil Tessler
Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1948
Author(s):  
You-Bin Lee ◽  
Young-Lyun Oh ◽  
Jung-Hee Shin ◽  
Sun-Wook Kim ◽  
Jae-Hoon Chung ◽  
...  

We compared American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines, Korean (K)-Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data Systems (TIRADS), EU-TIRADS, and American College of Radiology (ACR) TIRADS in diagnosing malignancy for thyroid nodules with nondiagnostic/unsatisfactory cytology. Among 1143 nondiagnostic/unsatisfactory aspirations from April 2011 to March 2016, malignancy was detected in 39 of 89 excised nodules. The minimum malignancy rate was 7.82% in EU-TIRADS 5 and 1.87–3.00% in EU-TIRADS 3–4. In the other systems, the minimum malignancy rate was 14.29–16.19% in category 5 and ≤3% in the remaining categories. Although the EU-TIRADS category ≥ 5 exhibited the highest positive likelihood ratio (LR) of only 2.214, category ≥ 5 in the other systems yielded the highest positive LR of >5. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of all systems to predict malignancy were located statistically above the diagonal nondiscrimination line (P for ROC curve: EU-TIRADS, 0.0022; all others, 0.0001). The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) were not significantly different among the four systems. The ATA guidelines, K-TIRADS, and ACR TIRADS may be useful to guide management for nondiagnostic/unsatisfactory nodules. The EU-TIRADS, although also useful, exhibited inferior performance in predicting malignancy for nondiagnostic/unsatisfactory nodules in Korea, an iodine-sufficient area.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thayse Lozovoy Madsen Barbosa ◽  
Cleo Otaviano Mesa Junior ◽  
Hans Graf ◽  
Teresa Cavalvanti ◽  
Marcus Adriano Trippia ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules currently present a challenge for clinical decision-making. The main aim of our study was to determine whether the classifications, American College of Radiology (ACR) TI-RADS and 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines, in association with The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC), could be used to stratify the malignancy risk of indeterminate thyroid nodules and guide their clinical management. Methods The institutional review board approved this retrospective study of a cohort of 140 thyroid nodules in 139 patients who were referred to ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) from January 2012 to June 2016 with indeterminate cytological results (44 Bethesda III, 52 Bethesda IV and 44 Bethesda V) and in whom pre-FNAC thyroid US images and histological results after surgery were available. Each included nodule was classified by one radiologist blinded to the cytological and histological diagnoses according to the ACR TIRADS scores and the US patterns as recommended in the 2015 ATA guidelines. The risk of malignancy was estimated for Bethesda, TI-RADS scores, ATA US patterns and their combination. Results Of the 140 indeterminate thyroid nodules examined, 74 (52.9%) were histologically benign. A different rate of malignancy (p < 0.001) among Bethesda III, IV and V was observed. The rate of malignancy increased according to the US suspicion categories (p < 0.001) in both US classifications (TI-RADS and ATA). Thyroid nodules classified as Bethesda III and the lowest risk US categories (very low, low and intermediate suspicion by ATA and 2, 3 and 4a by TI-RADS) displayed a sensitivity of 95.3% for both classifications and a negative predictive value of 94.3 and 94.1%, respectively. The highest risk US categories (high suspicion by ATA and 4b,4c and 5 by TI-RADS) were significantly associated with cancer (odds ratios [ORs] 14.7 and 9.8, respectively). Conclusions Ultrasound classifications, ACR TI-RADS and ATA guidelines, may help guide the management of indeterminate thyroid nodules, suggesting a conservative approach to nodules with low-risk US suspicion and Bethesda III, while molecular testing and surgery should be considered for nodules with high-risk US suspicion and Bethesda IV or V.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A841-A842
Author(s):  
Zaina Alamer ◽  
Gowri Karuppasamy ◽  
Arwa Alsaud ◽  
Tania Jaber ◽  
Hanan Farghaly ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted health care systems in all countries, including Qatar. Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC); In compliance with recommendations, suspended all non-urgent procedures, including thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNAB). Thyroid nodules are second most common cause of referral to HMC endocrine clinic. FNABs are gold standard to differentiate benign from malignant nodules.1- 2 Methods: Our approach includes a teleconsultation to obtain patient’s history and risk factors. Reviewing neck ultrasound (US), obtaining a calcitonin level if indicated, considering comorbidities associated with a high risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.3 Results: We developed a pathway triaging thyroid (FNAB) to:1-Urgent: patients at higher risk of aggressive thyroid malignancy. Benefits of early detection and treatment outweigh the risk of COVID-19 exposure.4 FNAB should not be delayed.2-Semi-urgent: patients at low risk for COVID-19 and high suspicion thyroid nodules, but no evidence that early detection improves survival2, FNAB may be delayed up to 12 months.3-Non-urgent: patients with asymptomatic nodules that have low or intermediate suspicion US pattern.2 Also, includes nodules with ATA high suspicion US pattern in pregnant women and patients at high risk for COVID-19. The risks outweigh the benefits. FNAB should be delayed until outbreak is controlled.4 When urgent FNAB is indicated, safety of patients and medical staff needs to be addressed.5 We recommend testing patient for COVID-19 before FNAB, utilizing US guidance with rapid on-site adequacy evaluation in all cases. Cervical lymph node FNAB with TG washout should be done if indicated. The patient should wear a mask. All medical staff involved should wear personal protective equipment (PPE). The operator should wear N95 mask and face shield. The patient should be informed about cytopathology results via telemedicine. Conclusion: Triaging thyroid (FNAB) during the COVID-19 pandemic should be based on nodule characteristics and risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Our group recommends deferring FNAB for asymptomatic patients.4FNAB should not be delayed in selected patients who benefit from early detection and intervention. Table1: Triage of Thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNAB). ATA: American thyroid association. US: ultrasound.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Jiang ◽  
Qingji Xie ◽  
Nan Li ◽  
Haizhen Chen ◽  
Xi Chen

To assess the malignancy risk of thyroid nodules, ten ultrasound characteristics are suggested as key diagnostic markers. The European Thyroid Association Guidelines (EU-TIRADS) and 2015 American Thyroid Association Management Guidelines (2015ATA) are mainly used for ultrasound malignancy risk stratification, but both are less accurate and do not appropriatetly classify high risk patients in clinical examination. Previous studies focus on papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), but follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) remained to be characterized. Thus, this study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy and establish models using all ultrasound features including the nodule size for predicting the malignancy of thyroid nodules (PTC, FTC, and MTC) in China. We applied logistic regression to the data of 1,500 patients who received medical treatment in Shanghai and Fujian. Ultrasound features including taller-than-wide shape and invasion of the thyroid capsule showed high odds ratio (OR 19.329 and 4.672) for PTC in this dataset. Invasion of the thyroid also showed the highest odds ratio (OR = 8.10) for MTC. For FTC, the halo sign has the highest odds ratio (OR = 13.40). Four ultrasound features revealed distinct OR in PTC nodule groups with different sizes. In this study, we constructed a logistic model with accuracy up to 80%. In addition, this model revealed more accuracy than TIRADS in 4b and 4c category nodules. Hence, this model could well predict malignancy in small nodules and classify high-risk patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. e273-e278
Author(s):  
Ruey Hu ◽  
George Xu ◽  
Thomas Stricker ◽  
Bingshan Li ◽  
Vivian L. Weiss ◽  
...  

Objective: Here we present 2 cases of papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PMCs) that had metastasized at presentation. The 2015 American Thyroid Association and the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) criteria do not recommend biopsy of the majority of subcentimeter thyroid nodules, as PMCs are mostly indolent with excellent prognosis. However, the paradigm of active surveillance presents a conundrum on how to identify the rare patient with distant metastatic disease while avoiding unnecessary intervention in the majority. Methods: After initial discovery of incidental lesions on chest computed tomography, core or wedge biopsies of the lung lesion were performed. Thyroid nodules on ultrasound were classified by TI-RADS. Tumor DNA was sequenced, annotated, filtered on 119 known cancer genes, and filtered for variants with an exome allele frequency of <0.001. Results: A 70-year-old woman and a 29-year-old woman presented with incidental pulmonary lesions on computed tomography scan. Lung biopsy revealed lung metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma. The thyroid nodules in both patients were TI-RADS 3 and American Thyroid Association low-suspicion. Molecular testing showed a c.1721C>G mutation (p.Thr574Ser) in the TSHR gene in patient 1 and a codon 61 mutation in the NRAS gene in patient 2. Both patients were iodine-avid, with complete structural remission in one patient and ongoing treatment with evidence of structural response in the other. Conclusion: The 2 presentations demonstrate unexpected and concerning behavior of PMCs. Both thyroid tumors were subcentimeter in diameter, meaning they would have escaped detection using traditional risk-stratification algorithms in active surveillance. Further knowledge of tumor genetics and microenvironment may assist in predicting tumor behavior in PMCs.


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