image by: HWN

HWN Suggests

Should I Self-Check For Thyroid Nodules?

The United States Preventative Service Task Force, which develops recommendations on health screening tests such as colonoscopies and mammograms, evaluated the evidence that was available for thyroid self-exams.

“They were not able to find enough evidence to show that for the general population a routine thyroid self-exam at home is effective in improving outcomes with thyroid cancer,” Dr. Hancock said.

The best way to find a thyroid nodule is to make sure your physician examines your neck.

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Featured

  My scan shows I have thyroid nodules. Should I be worried?

People often find out that they have thyroid nodules during a routine check-up or when investigating another unrelated health issue. Thyroid nodules are readily seen on common imaging tests such as an ultrasound or CT scans. Because there is rapidly growing access to and use of clinical imaging, and also, we tend to visit the doctors a lot more as we age, the chances of incidentally finding thyroid nodules has increased.

Articles of Interest

Evaluation of a thyroid nodule

Ultrasound is the preferred imaging modality for thyroid nodules, and the ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the preferred method of tissue sampling.

Got a goiter?

Thyroid enlargement or nodules are extremely common, but what might they mean?

Gulp! Do I Have a Thyroid Nodule?

Thyroid nodules are extremely common. In fact, by age 60, about one-half of all people have one! Happily, more than 90 percent of such nodules are benign (noncancerous). Still, a small proportion of thyroid nodules contain cancer cells.

Three Facts About Thyroid Nodules

There are several types of nodules, including solid, cystic and complex. The majority of thyroid nodules are solid, and most aren’t cancerous. If cancer is found, it is curable in up to 95 percent of patients.

Thyroid nodule update on diagnosis and management

Thyroid nodules are common. The clinical importance of thyroid nodules is related to excluding malignancy (4.0 to 6.5% of all thyroid nodules), evaluate their functional status and assess for the presence of pressure symptoms. Incidental thyroid nodules are being diagnosed with increasing frequency in the recent years with the use of newer and highly sensitive imaging techniques. The high prevalence of thyroid nodules necessitates that the clinicians use evidence-based approaches for their assessment and management.

Thyroid Nodules

Thyroid nodules are common entities, frequently discovered in clinical practice, either during physical examination, but also incidentally, during various imaging procedures. They are clinically important primarily due to their malignant potential.

Thyroid Nodules: When to Worry

Thyroid nodules are very common, especially in the U.S. In fact, experts estimate that about half of Americans will have one by the time they’re 60 years old. Some are solid, and some are fluid-filled cysts. Others are mixed. Because many thyroid nodules don’t have symptoms, people may not even know they’re there. In other cases, the nodules can get big enough to cause problems. But even larger thyroid nodules are treatable, sometimes even without surgery.

Top 5 Worries About Thyroid Nodules

The number one question patients have when they are diagnosed with a thyroid nodule is if the nodule is cancer. An excellent ultrasound is the cornerstone of determining whether a thyroid nodule is malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous).

What are thyroid nodules?

Most of the time, these little lumps aren’t anything to worry about—except in these cases.

Resources

5 Causes of Thyroid Nodules

One of the first things to understand about thyroid nodules is that they’re incredibly common. In fact, about 50% of all people develop a nodule by age 60. While this may sound alarming, the truth is that most nodules are perfectly harmless and don’t produce any symptoms. In fact, more than 90% of thyroid nodules are benign.

The American Thyroid Association Guidelines Task Force on Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

The revised guidelines for the management of thyroid nodules include recommendations regarding initial evaluation, clinical and ultrasound criteria for fine-needle aspiration biopsy, interpretation of fine-needle aspiration biopsy results, use of molecular markers, and management of benign thyroid nodules.

StatPearls

Although more than 90 percent of identified thyroid nodules are clinically insignificant benign lesions, in 4 to 6.5 percent of cases, these nodules are due to thyroid cancer. This activity reviews the evaluation and management of thyroid nodules and highlights the role of interprofessional team members in collaborating to provide well-coordinated care and enhance patient outcomes.