Co-Existence of Thyroid Nodule and Thyroid Cancer in Children and Adolescents with Hashimoto Thyroiditis: A Single-Center Study

Background: Currently, there is an inadequate number of studies on nodule and malignancy development in children and adolescents with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT). Material and Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with HT between 2004 and 2013 were included in the study. The HT diagnosis was made with a heterogeneous appearance on thyroid ultrasonography and the elevation of antithyroid peroxidase and/or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) was performed in cases with a nodule size > 1 cm or who had ultrasonography findings indicating malignancy. Results: A total of 39 (13%) thyroid nodules were detected in 300 patients with a diagnosis of HT. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) was diagnosed in 2 of the 12 cases in whom FNAB was performed. The thyroid nodule was detected at the same time as HT in the 2 cases with malignancy. The PTC diagnosis was made 2 years after the HT diagnosis in the first case and 3 years later in the second case. The largest diameter of the thyroid nodule was 5 mm in both cases. Conclusion: The thyroid nodule rate on an HT background was found to be 13%, and the thyroid malignancy rate was 0.67% in our study. (C) 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel