The thyroid nodule: evaluation of fine-needle biopsy
Belanger, R.; Guillet, F.; Matte, R.; Havrankova, J.; d'Amour, P.
Journal of Otolaryngology 12(2): 109-111
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0381-6605 PMID: 6864849 Document Number: 218938
Sixty-three consecutive unselected patients with a solitary cold nodule of the thyroid were submitted to surgery. Prior to surgery they all had clinical evaluation and a fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy of the nodule. Results of this study show that the FNA biopsy was correct in predicting cancer in 12 of 13 cancers for a sensitivity of 92%. When the nodule was benign, the FNA biopsy was right in 42 of the 50 benign nodules for a specificity of 84%. In comparison the clinical criteria alone were correct in suspecting only eight of the 13 cancers for a sensitivity of 62%, while correctly identifying 39 of the 50 benign nodules for a specificity of 72%. An association of the clinical criteria with the results of the FNA biopsy would have identified all the cancers in our group.