Abstract
Thyroid nodules are one of the most common presentations faced by ENT clinicians, and the prevalence of differentiated thyroid cancer is increasing worldwide. We found no other study showing a clear occurence of cancer in thyroid nodules in the state of West Bengal. Hence, we undertook this study to determine the occurence of thyroid cancer among people with thyroid nodules. A retrospective review was performed for 96 patients with thyroid nodules who underwent USG and Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) and thyroid surgery at a tertiary hospital in Kolkata over a 2-year period from January 2020 to December 2021. The occurence of thyroid cancer in patients with thyroid nodules; association with age, sex, duration of thyroid swelling and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels of the patients; the sonographic findings (nodule size and number) and Bethesda classification on FNAC were reviewed. A total of 96 cases were reviewed. The highest malignancies were seen in swellings of 3-5 years duration (50%), and in patients with increased TSH levels (60%). Patients with single vs. multinodular goitre had comparable rates (23.07 vs 22.22%). The highest risk was seen in nodules 1-2 cm in size. A TIRADS score of 2 had a negative predictive value of 86.95% and a score of 5 had a positive predictive value of 100%. BETHESDA II lesions had a 3.44% rate of malignancy, while BETHESDA V and VI had rates of 100% and 75% respectively. While most of the thyroid swellings were benign, 22.91% were malignant, the most common being papillary carcinomas.