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. 2024 Nov 29;16(11):e74780.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.74780. eCollection 2024 Nov.

Characteristics of Nodular Goitre and Its Correlation With Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Cross-Sectional Study

Meng Wang  1 , Shaogang Ma  2 , Guangwei Jiang  3 , Delian Du  1
Affiliations

Characteristics of Nodular Goitre and Its Correlation With Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Cross-Sectional Study

Meng Wang et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of nodular goitre (NG) and the relationship between NG and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods A total of 282 consecutive patients suspicious for thyroid cancer were enrolled. All the patients underwent surgical resection of the thyroid. Laboratory tests, ultrasonography, and pathology data were compared between patients with and without NG. Results Of the 282 patients who underwent surgery, 124 were diagnosed with PTC by pathology. NG accounted for 48.9% (138/282) of all patients, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:3. The rates of PTC and haemorrhage in patients with NG were 23.2% (31/138) and 29.0% (40/138), respectively, both of which were greater than those in patients without NG (p < 0.001). The levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in patients with PTC were 2.2 µIU/mL (min, 0.4; max, 109.8) (p = 0.04) and 1.16 ng/mL (0, 2.17, p25, p75) (p < 0.001), respectively, both of which were greater than those in patients with NG. However, the levels of thyroglobulin, thyroglobulin antibodies, and thyroid peroxidase antibodies were not significantly different. Conclusions The proportion of NG in thyroid surgery is very high, and NG carries a high risk of PTC, suggesting that elevated TSH and CEA are closely related to PTC.

Keywords: cancer biomarker; clinical analysis; nodular goitre; papillary thyroid carcinoma; thyroid-stimulating hormone.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Linping Campus, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine issued approval 2021041. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

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