LANDSCAPE OF THYROID CARCINOMA

DIAGNOSTIC VALUE AND MANAGEMENT. RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF A SINGLE CENTRE 2019-2021 (PART 2)

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Ultrasound imaging and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) are the mainstays in evaluating thyroid nodules. There is a substantial lack of recent data on thyroid carcinoma. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Green Corridor and to collect the data on the diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma by FNA and confirmation after surgical intervention.

METHODOLOGY
We conducted a retrospective observational study on patients sent to the Green Corridor (code Z03.173) RECUH between 2019 to 2021. Data on FNA, treatment, thyroid cancer types and comorbidities were collected after surgery. We compared the efficiency of cytological (starting from Bethesda III, atypia of undetermined significance or follicular lesion of uncertain significance) and histological thyroid cancer diagnoses and analyzed the efficiency of the Green Corridor. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS.

RESULTS
We included data from 563 patients. Thyroid cancer was confirmed in 153 (27.2%, women 80.4%). Surgical intervention (total thyroidectomy or hemithyroidectomy) and histologic confirmation of thyroid cancer was done in 147 patients. Four patients (2.6%) underwent radiation therapy, and two (1.3%) received palliative care due to an inoperable condition. FNA results of malignancy coincided with histological analysis in 114 patients (77%). In 84 (73.7%) patients, FNA malignancy type coincided with the histological analysis.

CONCLUSION
The Green Corridor has been shown to be effective based on the histological confirmation of thyroid cancer. FNA has proven its high diagnostic value in combination with cost-effectiveness and minimal invasiveness.