Incidence of carcinoma in multinodular goitre in Saudi Arabia
Al-Saleh, M.S.; al-Kattan, K.M.
Journal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh 39(2): 106-108
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0035-8835 PMID: 7520062 Document Number: 438484
Over a period of 3 years, 614 patients were admitted to the General Surgery Department at the Riyadh Central Hospital with thyroid enlargements. Based on the clinical examination and non-invasive investigations, the thyroid swellings were classified into solitary nodule (45%), multinodular (44%) and diffuse goitre (11%). Subsequent classification of the goitres on the basis of intraoperative findings and histopathological examination revealed increase in the number of multinodular goitres to 70% while the solitary nodule and diffuse goitres dropped to 24% and 6%, respectively. Malignant changes were seen in 10% of the multinodular goitres after pathological examination. 75% of the carcinomas seen in multinodular goitres were of the papillary type. In almost none of the cases, it was possible to discover the malignancy preoperatively. The study recommends surgical intervention in all nodules goitres irrespective of being solitary or multinodular.