"Thyroid sonography should be performed in all patients with 1 or more suspected thyroid nodules; second, fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the procedure of choice for evaluating thyroid nodules; and third, when several nodules larger than 1 to 1.5 cm are present, those with a suspicious sonographic appearance should be biopsied preferentially. Patients with nodules that are 8 to 9 mm in size and that have suspicious ultrasonographic findings, suspicious cervical lymph nodes, or a history of radiation exposure or familial thyroid cancer should be considered for ultrasound-guided FNAB. Smaller nodules most likely can be followed up over several years without FNAB if they are not increasing in size."FOR MORE INFORMATION
- Thyroid Nodules/Lumps and Goiter
- Fine Needle Aspiration of the Thyroid
- Second Opinions on Thyroid Nodules
- Thyroid Cancer 101: What You Need to Know About Thyroid Cancer
- Could You Have Thyroid Cancer? Take the Thyroid Neck Check Now
SOURCES:
Davies; Louise; Welch, H. Gilbert. " Increasing Incidence of Thyroid Cancer in the United States, 1973-2002," Journal of the American Medical Association . 2006;295:2164-2167. (Vol. 295 No. 18, May 10, 2006 )
Mazzaferri, Ernest MD. "Managing Small Thyroid Cancers," Journal of the American Medical Association . 2006;295:2179-2182. (Vol. 295 No. 18, May 10, 2006)
