Abstract
Purpose We performed a retrospective analysis to evaluate the risk of thyroid cancer in incidental thyroid nodules (ITNs) discovered on CT in patients with a history of pediatric cancer. Methods With IRB approval we reviewed the records of pediatric oncology patients age ≤ 21y with newly detected thyroid nodules on surveillance CT of the neck, chest, chest/abdomen/pelvis, or PET/CT performed between April 2008 and March 2015. Patients with < 6 months of follow-up after incidental findings, a history of primary thyroid malignancy, or incomplete records were excluded. Results The final cohort (N = 68) included 35 females and 33 males (mean age 16.0 ± 4.3[SD] years) with a mean follow-up time of 3.7 ± 1.9[SD] years after CT detection of ITN(s). Twenty patients (29.4%) received a follow-up thyroid ultrasound, eleven (16.2%) of whom underwent fine needle aspiration (FNA) for cytopathologic diagnosis. Among these, six (8.8%) underwent thyroid resection, with final pathology demonstrating papillary carcinoma in five (7.4%) and benign pathology in one. Conclusions Despite the low incidence of thyroid nodules and low risk of thyroid malignancy in the general pediatric population, we found a significant rate of malignancy in CT-detected ITNs in our pediatric oncology patients, and recommend ultrasound and FNA of these nodules in this high-risk population. Level of evidence Level IV, retrospective study with no comparison group.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 938-943 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Pediatric Surgery |
Volume | 52 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Adolescents
- CT
- Children
- Incidentaloma
- Papillary carcinoma
- Thyroid nodule
- Ultrasound
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health